Abnormally Attracted To Sin
by Tylida Doradelo
Summary: Ah, Anger, agony, lust or love I'll let you decide. So tell me, my sweet, sweet dragon. What's your poison?
1. Adrenaline

A/N: Yeah. This is happening. This is totally happening...I think. XD

The promised AlbedoxJr. story that I'm going to attempt. It was supposed to be up earlier but I couldn't decide how in the world to start this. So after days of deleting and rewriting and deleting again and anger and writer's block and cursing (so much cursing) I've finally decided to just go with this.  
The title of this story was sprung from Tori Amos' song and album entitled "Abnormally Attracted to Sin". Smacked me right upside the freakin' head.

My summaries usually aren't very good b/c I'm so very unpredictable. --; But I've tried to create one so hopefully it doesn't sound as crappy to you all as it does to me. As for time-frame? Um...I'm going to place it around the humongous gap b/w X2 and X3 but I'm going to go ahead and slap an AU tag on it b/c I'm also very unpredictable when it comes to timelines. --; And also because I wanted to play around with Albedo's past with Sellers, Margulis, U-TIC and of course his devoted victims the Kirschwassers. Hm...right so summary, disclaimer, crappy beginning chapters. XD We all know how this goes.

**Summary:** Even as a Testament Albedo finds that he can't stop obsessing over his twin. Wilhelm, amused, allows him to see Jr. in the form of dreams. The catch? Until Jr. falls in love with him he must appear as his infected form. Aware of the unpleasant reaction this will earn him he goes anyway. As long as he gets to see Jr., nothing else matters.  
For the last few months Jr.'s tried his absolute hardest to forget about Albedo's death. After a serious head injury Jr.'s dreams have been nothing but nightmares. Afraid that the effects of joy-riding have knocked loose suppressed thoughts he rejects every appearance of Albedo, determined never to willing fall asleep and to keep what sanity he has.

**Rated M because...?:**M for Albedo. Is there really any other reason? XD

Also, I'm my own editor and I make a lot of mistakes. XD I'm human and I'll try to cut back on them. :)

Really? I still have to say it? *sigh* I do not own Xenosaga or its characters they own me.

Dedicated to:  
All the Albedists everywhere. XD  
And also to Dante. Don't worry. Chris is only pretending to be straight. He'll come around. ;)

* * *

_"A strange reenactment of Beauty and the Beast. Fitting actors don't you agree? Pull back the curtains and call them forth onto this stage. Their audience awaits."_

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 1  
Adrenaline

"So he gave you special permission, huh?" Virgil spoke disdainfully. He walked to the figure, his footsteps echoing off the surrounding walls and back to him."Special permission to the 'Weaver of the Eternal Circle of Zarathustra'."

He stopped a few feet behind the white figure. He sat slumped over, staring at his right hand intently, completely oblivious and apathetic to whatever Virgil was saying.

"So what?" Virgil continued, trying to coax something out of the new guy.

"You get some special treatment for making your path back to him? You somehow get a level of respect for doing absolutely nothing except tormenting him? For following your own selfish desires?" When the figure continued to ignore him Virgil walked around him to face him.

"You're no better than us."  
The figure continually ignored him but Virgil wanted an answer. He smacked the figure's hand away and bent low to stare into his mask. "You have something to say?"

The white, bird-like mask lifted to meet his as Virgil waited. He prepared himself for a strike, a fight. Some outrage from the figure before him for doing something so disrespectful. After-all, he had never let anyone get away with doing something like that before. Instead, a strange sort of quiet laugh greeted him. The new guy wasn't stupid. He knew Virgil wanted some reaction. So he gave him one.

"I like it better when I can see your face, Addict. The scars of gluttony are agonizingly beautiful."

Virgil smirked behind his own mask and straightened up.

"Heh. That right?" The white mask moved in the slightest of nods and Virgil snickered. He grasped the end of his beak-like mask and pulled it off, reveling his light blue eyes and the scarred skin trailing from his forehead down his neck, slightly touching the corner of his eye and lips. A white glove raised as if to touch it but pulled back, gaining the attention of the still-masked testament again and again Virgil knocked it away.

"So when are you going to do it?"

"The purpose of this interrogation? Do you not have what you wish? Replay the scenario again and again to relive a past self. Are you not missing the rerun of your favorite episode?"

Virgil's snicker darkened. "Trying to get to me?"

White shoulders shrugged slightly as a hand rose again. The left one came to join it as clawed fingers began to worry the fabric. Virgil gave up on trying to take his attention from the hand.

"What are the rules?"

The white testament sighed and dropped his hand, staring up at Virgil. "Tell me Addict, do you miss it? Do you miss the taste?"

"Taste?"

"Yes. The taste. The taste of chemicals on your tongue. The sweet nero tissue that sent your mind spinning into sweet bliss? The same skin that turned yours into the sickening glorious sight. Twisted and cracked do you miss it?"

Virgil remained expressionless as the other pulled off his white mask. Purple eyes and a wicked grin met Virgil as Albedo leaned closer until their lips inches apart, warm breath mingling with each other's.

"I miss it."

They remained like that for a few moments. Virgil's powerful glare colliding with Albedo's maliciously seductive one until finally Virgil grinned.

"Nice try but I know you're not crazy anymore."

Albedo mirrored his expression and pulled back turning his attention to his right hand once again. "How did I do?"

"Very convincing," Virgil responded sarcastically. "I get it now. So what was that? Practice?"

"Indeed." Albedo answered. White claws sliced at the fabric.

"It is so very hard to play a part that is lost with sickness."

Albedo pinched it and pulled it away from the rest of the suit.

"Do you think Rubedo will be pleased?"

Virgil crossed his arms as he watched Albedo rip the square of fabric.

"No."

Albedo chuckled, happy with that answer. He stared at his pale palm, tracing fingers over the now visible numbers.

"Good."

* * *

"That's right, bitches!"

"Um..."

"I own this town!"

"Wait, I'm unsure if--"

"Hey there, beautiful!"

"Oh my goodness..."

"I'd have the legal age of consent knocked down a few years for you!"

"I apologize for him. He's um...he's running a fever."

"Yeah a fever, gotcha'."

"I really think that we should--"

"chaos! You're so smart!"

"Jr.," chaos smiled, patting the boy's back as he drunkenly wrapped his arms around his slim hips.

"I love you buddy! I love you so-so much!"

"Jr. I have a confession to make..."

"It's ok, buddy. I kn--know! I know it already!"

chaos bent down to catch the stumbling boy before he fell off the sidewalk and into on-coming traffic. He couldn't help but giggle quietly at the scene and neither could a few bystanders on their late night outs.

"Jr. I need to tell you--"

Jr. pressed a finger to chaos' lips, focusing intently on the digit with dark blue eyes. He pursed his lips and blinked.

"Suh-shhhh!"

chaos' lips widened into a smile.

"We don't need to--need to speak, chaos." Jr. whispered. "I've knowin all 'bout all of this...these things!"

"What," chaos laughed, pulling the boy back up.

"I know, chaos. I know that you and Tony--"

"Jr.--"

"--Nonono! shhh shhh shhh SHHHH!" Jr. said, placing his finger against his own lips and bending over to emphasize his needing chaos to be quiet. chaos nodded and stood, waiting for Jr. to blink into partial sobriety.

"I've always known you and Tony are in LOO-UH-- Love! chaos an-and that's always been all right with me!" Jr. hiccuped and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand.

"But Jr., that's not--"

"Just promise me chaos! Prop...prom? Promise!--promise me chaos that you'll still love me to--too buddy!"

chaos sighed and caught Jr. as the boy fell forward again. It seemed that he was doing that a lot lately.

"Jr.," chaos started, pausing to wait for any interruption. When he was certain that Jr. was finally going to be quiet, he bent down and swooped Jr.'s flask from the folds of his jacket. The boy gave an indignant cry and reached for it but chaos held it just high enough to be out of his reach.

"Jr.," chaos said again in his kind, quiet voice, "This isn't alcohol. I had Adonis make you a virgin daiquiri."

Jr. blinked and pushed himself away from his slender friend. chaos nodded at his disbelief and even popped the cap to take a long drink himself to prove his point as chaos was adamant about abstaining from the liquid.

"You bastard!"

chaos laughed and shrugged, "It's funny what power a taste can have over your mind, Jr."

Jr. snatched the flask from him and shoved it back into his jacket, miraculously sober. "It tasted just like a real one." he grumbled.

chaos nodded and patted Jr. on the shoulder, "Yes, Adonis is very good at disguising non-alcoholic beverages. In truth, it's saved us from the captain a few times but I didn't want you to get drunk before we raced. You could get hurt."

Jr. grumbled and walked away from chaos, stomping ahead to their previously planned destination. chaos chased after him, "And what would Gaignun have said if I brought you home not only broken and bleeding but drunk as well?"

"We're already about to do something illegal! Being underage and drunk wouldn't have made it much worse!"

chaos sighed as something dawned on him. "Gaignun doesn't know about this, does he?"

"Why? You gonna tell him?"

"I might," chaos said.

The flask sailed through the air to crash against his face but chaos caught it and sighed.

"Fine Jr., I won't."

"Damn right you won't," the variant said pointedly, whirling a Makarov around his finger.

chaos shook his head at the motion and Jr. shoved the weapon back into his pocket. The seraph finally gave up his nagging. Jr. was going to do what Jr. was going to do. chaos was just there to make sure he didn't get hurt doing it...or hurt anyone else. Jr. was still sulking when they finally made it to their deserted street. The road was part of an unused bridge outside of the Foundation. A new route had been created for faster access and Jr. was almost certain no one would come driving down this particular path. Jr. looked around, scanning the area for signs of anyone when he heard:

"Hey Little Master! We're over here!"

Jr. squinted against the darkness until he saw Hammer standing on the roof of a hovercar, three others stood waiting to his right as he waved his arms wildly trying to get their attention. Tony leaned against the left side of the same one Hammer stood on, smoking a cigarette. chaos waved back and Hammer hopped down, bumping into Tony and earning himself a shove. Hammer of course, didn't appreciate Tony's behavior and in response to said behavior shouted and pushed him back. By the time the boys reached the two men they were literally fighting.

"Damn, they're in the spirit, aren't they?" Jr. asked, amused.

chaos sighed, "I'm afraid so. Um...guys?"

They both stopped mid-fight.

"Hey babe!" Tony smiled brilliantly at chaos and with a sharp, brisk movement, shoved Hammer to the ground before walking over to and wrapping his arms around the boy. Jr. rolled his eyes.

"Could you two at least wait until we're in the cars to have sex? I mean damn, chaos."

Tony glared at Jr. but chaos ignored him and pushed himself away from the blonde.

"Alright which one's mine?" Jr. said to himself, switching glances between the four vehicles.

He walked around all of them before settling on a black one. "Anyone see you guys take them?" he asked.

Hammer shook his head, "No way. Don't worry, Little Master. As long as we have them back before morning no one will notice they've been missing."

Jr. placed a hand on his chin as if in thought. He leaned his back against his chosen car and thought about it. "And if we destroy them?"

Hammer grinned, "Then I guess they'll know."

"And Gaignun?"

"Unless you forget to pay them, Jr. then I don't think he'll ever find out about it," chaos answered, taking the car beside him.

"chaos," Tony said, grabbing onto the straps hanging on his pants and pulling him back. "You sure you should be racing? It's kind of dangerous."

chaos gave him a funny look but it was Jr. who spoke up, "chaos was doing dangerous shit before you were ever introduced. Being your boyfriend hasn't made him any weaker. Shut up and get in the car!"

"Being your friend doesn't mean he should do stupid things to make you happy."

"Actually it kind of comes with the territory," chaos answered, "I'll be fine. Don't go easy on me it's unfair. It would look bad if I beat you, don't you think?"

Hammer laughed, "So much for the greatest pilot ever!"

Tony snorted, "Fine. I'll just have to show you all how it's done."

"Please do! We're all so scared!" Jr. called back.

He slid into the car. It was a specially designed racecar with modifications that almost qualified it as aircraft. It could hover at least fifteen feet above ground and was faster than a regular hovercar. He'd been dying to get his hands on a machine like this and since Gaignun was busy on Fifth Jerusalem there was no one to say no. He began to press buttons on the keypad to both disable autopilot and enable connection between himself and the other vehicles. Three screens appeared just above the windshield, causing him to almost have to stare straight up to get the visual feed of it.

"Whoo hoo! Drag race!" Hammer yelled excitedly from his screen. Jr. laughed up at him.

"This is so illegal," he heard chaos murmur.

"Last chance. Anyone want to back out?"

Engines roared to life as if in response.

"Hammer?" Jr. asked, "You have the route planned?"

"Sure do Little Master," he answered. Another screen popped up as if trying to program itself into the machine. Jr. halted the process and shifted it into a simple GPS format.

"This is even more illegal," chaos joked lightly.

"Will these crafts be able to keep above water?" Jr. asked, a little unsure.

"Yeah, they should be fine. What? Scared all of a sudden?"

Jr. smirked. "No way. Tonight the Foundation is mine. Anything goes."

"Jr., you're going to get me into so much trouble with Gaignun."

"Nah, I run this town tonight, chaos." Jr. responded, "But you're going to be in a lot of trouble with me if you don't shut up and race."

Jr.'s hovercar vroomed away from the rest of them, leaving the others a little surprised.

"Fair enough," chaos sighed, following behind.

* * *

Completely and utterly illegal. chaos hadn't been lying but the legalities of street racing didn't seem to bother anyone else.

A sharp turn of his collapsible wheel caused Jr.'s vehicle to collide with Tony's and knock him a few feet away. He didn't have much time to laugh at him because Hammer hit him from behind at an angle that sent him nose diving. Jr. began to program the car to keep it from crashing when his vehicle hit something that knocked him back up. His vision moved up to the screens above him.

"chaos," he laughed, "You aren't supposed to knock me back on course. This is a competition!"

"The end of it if you get hurt."

The tail end of chaos' machine tapped playfully at the front of Jr.'s before speeding ahead to catch up with Hammer and Tony who's hovercars had moved back down onto the road into a tunnel and seemed to have started fist-fighting if such a thing were possible. Jr. sped up too, moving in a circular movement to trace across the sides and top of the tunnel and pass the other three just as chaos wedged his way between them as means to break up their fight. He heard the three of them (more like two) arguing over the speakers and chuckled before kicking it into overdrive and leaving them as far behind as he possibly could. He drove through the dark tunnel until he came out the other side, twisting a sharp right and swerving through trees over unpaved road.

"Be careful, Jr." chaos warned, coming up behind him.

"Heh. No, you be careful."

chaos knew that tone of voice all too well so when the edge of Jr.'s hovercar hit a tree just right to send it falling over he moved and it crushed Hammer's instead.

Jr.'s laughter was evil as he sped up, Tony his only real competition now as chaos went back to let Hammer ride with him.

"That was a good one, Little Master," Tony complimented.

"Easy for you to say! You didn't almost die!"

"He's fine, Jr. You should be more careful."

"Psh! Careful's for girls. Isn't that right, Tony?"

Tony laughed in agreement as the two swerved through trees. Jr. glanced at the path he was supposed to take and considered it for a moment. He knew a much faster way to the finish line but it would cut through the Foundation and into actual late-night traffic. He would have to lie low to the ground if he did that and that might take some of the fun out of it. Then again, it might be more exciting to race thorugh heavy traffic. He mulled over the thought as he twisted through a particularly close set of trees. Well he had said that anything goes...

A hard, forceful left and Jr. was off course.

"Jr.? Where are you going?"

Jr. ignored chaos' worry and made a harsh landing onto the busy road. He weaved his way through cars, getting honks and curse words along the way but he didn't care. He was going to win. Adrenaline pulsed heavily through his veins at possible collisions and near-misses. Tony hadn't stopped, determined to win the race his way but chaos was concerned and followed the boy's path as cars desperately rushed to get out of his way.

"Are you trying to get arrested?" chaos asked.

"You trying to arrest me?"

Jr. was coming onto a bridge. All he had to do was cross this last bit and he'd make the finish line.

"No but the police certainly will, Jr..."

Jr. sighed, "Look chaos I'm Gaignun's son. There's no way I'll get into trouble for any of this, besides." Jr. took his eyes from the road to look up at his worried friend. "I'm not hurting anyone."

Jr. moved to turn his eyes back just in time for the motion to be too late. Just as Jr.'s craft was about to make its way onto the bridge another blindsided him hard and sent his machine into vicious spirals, knocking him off the bridge and straight onto the ground underneath.

Jr.'s screen faded and flickered out until it disappeared.

"Little Master!" Hammer cried out, "Little Master! Answer me!"

"Hammer call an ambulance," chaos instructed. He'd expected something bad to happen. "Tell them that Jr. has just been in a wreck. Do it now. Tony," chaos said, staring up at the worried young man. "Contact Mary, Shelley, and Gaignun immediately. Tell him that Jr.'s been in a wreck and that we're taking him to a hospital. Please be calm when you do it, we don't want to scare them."

They both started immediately as chaos drove to the bridge. The front of the assailant's hovercar was demolished but he himself was fine and standing outside of his car screaming at the people around him. Hammer stared in disbelief as the man staggered about probably drunk but maybe just crazy. The car stopped and chaos jumped out without another word. He jumped from the bridge, landing unsteadily on the ground below. Immediately he ran towards the twisted metal of the hovercar.

"Jr.!" he called urgently, banging on the window to get try to get his attention. chaos squinted into the darkness to get a visual of the boy but could see nothing in blackness. He pulled on the door but it was jammed. "Jr.! Jr. can you hear me?"

When he didn't get an answer his worry began to spike. He glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to notice before digging his fingers into the metal and forcibly ripping the piece away from the rest of the machine. He threw the chunk away and dove into the opening. He found Jr. slumped against the other side bleeding from a gash on his forehead.

"Jr., Jr. wake up," chaos said quietly, ripping the seatbelt from him and pulling the boy out. "Wake up." He turned and laid the boy onto the ground, checking quickly for a pulse. He found one.

"Jr.? Jr. can you hear me?"

He shook his gently and called his name again. "Jr.?"

Tony arrived the same moment as the ambulance but chaos was unwilling to leave the boy until he opened his eyes; confirmation that Jr. really was ok. Finally after they had placed him onto an anti-gravity stretcher Jr. opened his eyes.

"Jr.?" chaos said, overwhelming relief in his voice.

"chaos?"

"I'm here, Jr.," he answered.

Jr. groaned and squirmed. He shifted his hips in order to get into one of his back pockets.

"Your guns are there, Jr." he reassured, trying to push the boy back down. Jr. frowned and shook his head, bringing his wallet out and giving it to the seraph. chaos looked at it confused but took it anyway.

"Pay for those before Gaignun finds out."

chaos gave him a look of disbelief and Jr. grinned back at him. He blinked and tried to wipe blood out of his eyes.

"I'll be in a lot worse shape than this if he gets ahold of me and finds out that we...borrowed them."

"Jr.," chaos smiled, astounded at the boy. "You're just plain unbelievable."

"That..." he sighed, closing his eyes again. "That better be a compliment."

"Of course it was, Jr." chaos said softly as they placed him into the ambulance.

* * *

A/N: First chapter and Jr.'s already in the hospital. Shame on me. XD  
Well I hope that started out alright. You know who to tell if you didn't like it.  
Reviews are my muse so inspire it up people.


	2. Apparition

A/N: Wow, you all reviewed fast, huh? XD I'll admit this story did start out weird but I have a strange feeling that this whole story itself is going to be weird. Maybe I should change the rating from M to FW for Freakin' Weird? XD Nah.

Oh, right. Before we go any further I would like to just go ahead and say that my French is very...hm...XD Not good. So I may screw it up, I may not (I'm going to lean towards the former). If I do I'm certain one of you will correct me. I'll leave translations anyway. Butchered language or not. XD

I do not own Xenosaga or its characters and I'll have to remind you all of this next chapter so that I won't be sued.

* * *

_"There is no line between the 'real world' and 'world of myth and symbol.' Objects, sensations, hit with the impact of hallucination."_ - William S. Burroughs

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 2  
Apparition

Jr. awoke to a headache which just put him in the most wonderful mood. Within five seconds he'd decided it was the worst one he'd ever had in his entire life. It seemed to be everywhere; a sharp hammering against the front of his skull strong enough to send pulses against the inside of his temples and pooling like water at the back of it. His neck and throat were killing him as well as the keen ringing in his ears. Somewhere between the pain and the noise he found the room to sigh and murmur, "Well, this is what I get for joy riding."

He opened his eyes then quickly shut them again as the florescent lighting encouraged the pain. He must've groaned or raised his hands to the side of his head because he gained the attention of someone and an overly cheerful voice was heard amongst the keening in his ears.

"Well hello, Little Master. I'm glad to see that you are awake. Everyone has been so worried."

Jr. responded by pulling the thin sheets covering him over his head in a silly attempt to shut out the light. He heard her giggle. There was a soft click of the lights as the room went dark. He sighed inwardly underneath his sheet and slowly pulled it away.

"I thought that might bother you, Little Master. Don't worry you should be fine now. Can you open your eyes for me?"

"I'd really rather not," he said honestly, frowning.

"Could you please? I've heard you have beautiful eyes."

Jr. snickered at the comment. "You have? And who told you that?"

"Why everyone says it, Little Master. It's no secret."

Jr. cautiously opened his eyes, grateful when darkness didn't coax the pounding in his head into something unbareable. His found himself in a standard white hospital room. To his left a door opened to what he presumed was a bathroom and to his right a wall with a rectangular window blocked by blinds stood behind the cheerful nurse. Golden hair framed her face under a little nurse's cap. Hazel eyes sparkled happily behind a strange white mask that covered both them and her nose, leaving her pink smiling lips visible.

"There we go," she said, tapping a pale pink glove against a wire connected to a needle in his arm. "Welcome back to the waking world, Little Master." She turned around to press buttons and adjust values on a machine next to him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked without looking back. He watched her work for a few moments. She seemed human enough but she was probably Realian. Her body was too perfect. She was all curves and beauty almost as if created solely for aesthetics. Her nurse's uniform clung to her tightly as if it were a second skin and was so short he was certain if she needed to bend down for any reason he might see up her skirt. He tilted his head to one side. A Vector model probably. The kind of model that any man would willing hurt himself to be near. He sighed.

"My head's killing me. Seriously. It feels like my skull is splitting open and it sounds like the damn Hunchback of Notre Dame is ringing church bells in my ears."

He didn't mind the sight at all but was admittedly upset by it. The treatment and reaction he got from her would be a lot different than say perhaps the treatment Gaignun would. He shrugged off the twinge of jealousy at his younger brother's physical age as she walked across the room to a medical table. Curiously he watched her go, wondering if he'd see a syringe. The idea of needles had always made him cringe but he wasn't necessarily afraid of them. He'd been given plenty of injections during his stay at the Yuriev Institute but the shape of one and the fact that it was going under the skin had always been unpleasant.

"Vraiment, Rubedo?"

Jr. shook his aching head. "Eh-excuse me?"

"Hm?" She questioned, turning around with the very thing Jr. had been hoping he wouldn't see. "Oh, I asked if you were up for a shot, Little Master."

"Oh uh...not particularly no. I don't really have a choice though, do I?" He asked sheepishly.

"I'm afraid not," she answered sympathetically. She strode over to his left side, "I'm sorry that I have to do this now. I was going to try and wait for your father."

"My father...? Oh! You mean Gaignun. Yeah don't worry about it. He's kinda busy anyway. I'm a big boy, I can handle it." He winked at her and she giggled back. She ran her fingertips from the tip of his shoulder down the length of his arm. She tapped the inside of his elbow, trying to find a vein.

"How very strange that the Executioner would not come for his victim in such a state."

Jr. frowned worriedly and rubbed his right temple. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

The nurse delicately ran an alcohol swab against his skin.

"I said that he certainly can't be too busy for his son after such a tragic incident. Are you sure you wouldn't rather wait?"

"Oh...No it's alright. Let's get this over with."

She nodded, "Yes that would probably be best."

Carefully she slid the needle under his skin and pressed down to inject the medicine.

"What's this stuff for anyway?" He asked absently. He was still disturbed by the words he apparently hadn't heard.

"This medicine I'm giving you now is to numb you. I have another that is for the pain. Your head should stop ringing after it."

"Heh, must be some pretty painful stuff if you have to numb me first."

She shrugged. "Combined it is a very powerful medicine. It's precautionary really and it's to keep it from being unnecessarily painful."

He nodded, wincing a little at the thick medicine.

"Unless you wish for it to be painful, Mon Précieux_."_

"What?" Jr. asked, passing the area labeled disturbed and moving on into the panic category.

The nurse pulled out the needle and placed a small bandage against the hole.

"I said we wouldn't want it to hurt too much would we? I'll try to be very careful with you."

Jr. made a noise and looked up at her feeling strangely ruffled by the things he kept hearing.

"This may sound a little strange but can you speak French?"

"Me, Little Master?" She asked, putting the question off as Jr. trying to distract himself from the needles. "No of course not. I believe it's a dead language, isn't it? I can't imagine anyone who is still fluent in it. Why do you ask?"

"Well I..." He paused for a second, trying to think of any other explanation before asking. "Is it normal for me to have hallucinations after something like that?"

She frowned as if worried herself. "Certainly Little Master. Hallucinations can result from any sort of head trauma."

Jr. nodded, the action felt a little weird as the numbing medicine began to crawl up his arm. She placed a hand against his forehead, the frown still on her slender lips. "Are you experiencing illusions?"

"I keep hearing things. That's why I ask you to repeat some of your sentences. Some of them...don't make sense."

"They are distressing?"

"You could say that."

The Realian nurse removed her hand from his forehead. "Well you don't have a fever but I'll alert the doctor. First, how about some good old pain medicine? Maybe you can get some rest and clear your mind."

"That'd be kind of great." He said, relaxing a bit at the thought of being pain free. He leaned back against the pillow. He rubbed the left side of his neck. He found it a little odd that the effects had reached that far. When he said something to the Realian she nodded.

"Well that is because the next shot is going to be right here." She pressed a finger against his neck.

"In my neck?"

She nodded and stood up. "The medicine might make it a little hard for you to breathe. Don't fight it. That will just make it worse."

Jr.'s breathing became shallow as he tried not to think about it too much. He would make sure to keep his breathing level and steady so that the change wouldn't surprise him. She came back with a very thick needle that actually did make him flinch.

"Am I thankful for precautions." He said jokingly.

She smiled warmly at him and started to place alcohol on him again. To take his mind of the needle he focused his sight on the mask covering her face. She must have noticed this because her eyes raised to meet his.

"Something wrong, Little Master?"

He shook his head, "Nah, I just like your mask. Is it a standard mask for all your units?"

"You know that I am a Realian?" She asked, studying him for a moment.

"Yeah was it supposed to be secret?"

She grinned, "No I suppose not." She pulled away to grab the syringe. "It's not standard for my model and neither is it required by the hospital."

"It's cool," Jr. said, tilting his head to one side, determined to keep his eyes on the mask and not allow them to wander to the needle. "It looks like an old masquerade mask from ancient Lost Jerusalem. You masquerading as someone?" Jr. asked playfully.

"No, nothing like that, Little Master."

She leaned over to position his head the way she needed it to go. He followed her movements without protest.

"It's just a silly decoration. Would you like to have it?"

"No way!" He said excitedly. "You'd just let me have it?"

"Sure," she replied, "A get well present."

She started to pull away in order to set down the syringe and untie the scarlet silk when he stopped her. "I'll do it. That way you can just stick that scary thing in my neck faster. I don't want Gaignun to think I intentionally waited for him, after all."

She giggled. "Whatever you want, Little Master."

She leaned over, careful of where she placed the needle so that it wouldn't sink into him in the wrong place. Jr. grasped an edge of the pretty bow it was tied in and pulled awkwardly on it. The fabric came apart in one smooth motion, allowing the mask to fall lightly onto his chest. He smiled at her as she pulled back, prepared to say something along the lines of "Thanks, you're pretty cool," but stopped instantly. The careful control on his breathing was shattered to hell as he tried to comprehend the sight in front of him. He blinked hard and tried to move away from the body, desperately searching for his weapons.

"Now, now, Rubedo."

A strong hand grabbed his arm and pulled him roughly back. Familiar amesyth eyes bored into his. A wicked smile played fiercely on pale lips. Jr. scrambled desperately to make sense out of the situation. He tried to think through the pain in his skull and the shock of his twin's appearance.

"Al-Albedo...!"

This couldn't be real. None of this made any sense! He shook his head and tried to blink the image away. This had to be a mistake! A fabrication caused by the collision between his head and a control panel. An aftershock! Suppressed memories and guilt rising up from the darkest places of his soul and his physical inability to hold them back. It was something, anything, some sort of delusion, nightmare!

"Why do you squirm away from my touch? So repulsed by my presence! I thought you would be happy to see me." Jr. felt the end of the syringe under his chin, causing him to lift away from it a little, but not too much, afraid that Albedo would press up onto the plunger and sink whatever concoction was actually in it into him.

"You could easily break my heart with those truly beautiful eyes, Rubedo. Is that what you wish? Of course it is! Destroy the best! Kill the beast!"

"Albedo..."

"To break me into pieces, Rubedo? Why I think you should rejoice. Yes! Rejoice Rubedo! Your destroyed phantom has come back for you."

Jr. suddenly had trouble breathing. His panicking was making it hard for air to reach his lungs. He tried to calm himself down, tried to think or wake himself up. "For only you."

"You...tricked....me. You tricked me...Albedo..." Jr. gasped. His eyes were getting heavy and his vision began drifting in and out. The darkness shifted into different shades, harsher and softer all at once. He tried to focus but the only thing he could actually focuse on was Albedo's voice.

"Did I Rubedo?" He asked, thoroughly enjoying himself. His grip tightened and the needle pressed dangerously close to Jr.'s skin.

"You...pretended...to...to..."

Albedo laughed insanely, partially snapping Jr. out of his fainting spell as he gasped for oxygen.

"Pretended? Indeed I was pretending or perhaps...masquerading? Ah yes! Yes that was it! However all of that is so very irrelevant, mon Rubedo."

Small tremors made their way through Jr.'s body, as if straining for any amount of oxygen.

"You...Albe...do..."

"If it has gained the attention of my most beloved brother then I pray you slumber always."

Albedo leaned down as close as he could to Jr., their lips grazing. "That I might have the company of my red prince more often."

"No...lie...this is a lie..."

"Help me, Rubedo."

"You're lying...I...killed you..."

And suddenly Jr. felt like crumbling, falling apart as painful memories came unbidden to his mind all at once, twisting against his chest like a knife and he didn't know what to feel.

"I...killed...you..." Just saying the words seemed to cause the dark spots in his vision to multiply along with the desperate constriction of his lungs.

"Help me, Rubedo for I am so very much alive." Albedo whispered almost lovingly, his eyes showing a strange, dangerous compassion.

"Albedo..." Jr. said, his voice weak as he tried to force himself to breathe. He tried to struggle, tried to fight, tried to do something, force something, anything! Another bout of crazed laughter assailed the walls and rang through Jr.'s abused thoughts.

"Help! I'm Alive!"

And then the sharp invasion of the drug buried itself into him.

* * *

The sound of Jr.'s screaming surprised chaos so much that he almost fell out of his chair. The boy shot up from his seat and ran over to the writhing red-head's hospital bed. His blue eyes snapped open and he let loose another scream.

"I can't! I can't breathe!" Jr. screamed.

chaos punched the nurse button and called for the doctors immediately. Jr. grasped his burning neck. He felt like he was on fire. The flames were burning their way down his throat and into his chest. It pulsated violently as if gasoline had been splashed onto the curling beginnings of the wildfire. He convulsed and cried out again. He needed air! He couldn't breathe! Something around him crashed and the gloves covering his arm were suddenly yanked back. Something smashed, more breaking, another violent burst of torturous fire erupted inside him. He couldn't take much more of this. He gasped and choked for air that wasn't there. Everything around him was crumbling, he could feel it. The fire was burning everything, turning it all into ash. Jr. tried to stop it but he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe! He gritted his teeth and tried to still his body. He had to stop. This had to stop! He needed oxygen. He needed it, it was beyond bearable now and he was certain he was going to die. He shook and begged for life-giving oxygen, anything to give him the strength he needed to stop this fire. A strange electric pressure broke through the agonizing burning feeling. One pulse and it broke the stream of flames. Another and he could breathe. His body took it in eagerly as if breathable air was water he had been deprived of during a long treck through the desert. A sharp intake of oxygen and the fire stopped. The flames made a final whooshing sound before settling into nothingness and for a few moments the only sound that echoed through the room was that of his heavy, pain filled breathing. He shook almost violently with every breathe as if he were so fragile a strong enough one might crack his paper-mâché body. After a little while he realized that someone was beside him. He looked over to see chaos breathing almost as heavily as himself. His clothes were tattered, falling off his arms and shoulders as if parts of it had been peeled away.

"Jr.?" He whispered worriedly. "Jr., are you alright?"

Jr. made a motion to nod but it only came halfway. chaos smiled then, a melancholy smile and pushed himself away from the wall. A doctor ran into the destroyed room then, running his hands frantically over Jr., stabbing needles into him and picking up fallen objects. Nurses followed and Jr. cringed away from the blonde women.

"Guns," he gasped, "Where...where are my guns?"

The doctor murmured something and continued with his movements. His bed was suddenly moving but in his disoriented state Jr. couldn't do much but flinch away from Realian hands and demand for the return of his weapons. Within a matter of two hours Jr. was in another hospital room. His vitals were stable again. He blinked blue eyes along the wall of his clean room, trying to fight off the effects of the medicine. He was having a hard time of it too. He heard footsteps into his room and turned his head as quickly as he could. He calmed down though when he saw a still battered chaos enter the room. He walked slowly over to Jr., afraid to wake him up if he might be asleep.

"Stop that. I'm awake."

"You shouldn't be," was chaos' response.

"Who says?" Jr. asked, sighing painfully. He hurt everywhere now. It felt as if his very insides had been scorched by whatever fire had invaded him. His eyes scanned the room.

"The doctor. You had a concussion, Jr. and you should be sleeping and getting rest."

Jr. was quiet for a moment as chaos made his way over to the bed. "That's three times now."

"Hm?"

"You've saved my life three times now. How is it that you're always there when I'm about to die? You want to be the witness?"

"Don't be silly, Jr. You just always seem to be in trouble while I'm around."

Jr. made a noise. "Well then I guess I'm just one lucky bastard, huh?"

His reaction made chaos sigh disapprovingly.

"Where is he?" Jr. asked suddenly. chaos gave him a strange look.

"Who?"

Jr. frowned. "What do you mean who? Where's Albedo? Where'd that bastard go?"

"Jr.," chaos said, his voice steady but worried, "Albedo...was never here."

Jr. shook his head and tried to push himself up. He looked up at his friend, aggravated. "You mean to tell me you didn't see him? You were right there. I mean, you weren't in the room but you came fast enough. You had to have seen him before he got away."

"Jr..."

Jr. gave a humorless laugh and raised a hand against anything chaos was about to say, "No. Don't fuck with me right now, chaos. Tell me you saw him."

"Jr., Albedo is..." chaos averted his gaze, trying to avoid the 'd' word. "It's impossible for him to have been there. I was in the room with you the whole time, Jr. I haven't left your side since you were admitted into your hospital room. You and I were the only people in there the entire time."

Jr. shook his head again. Slowly he brought a hand under his chin, running his fingers delicately along the flesh, expecting some sort of soreness or pain from the injection but felt nothing. His brow furrowed at the lack of pain, not that he'd been wanting it but...He swallowed hard, thinking that by doing that he could find some other indication that the needle had really been there. Nothing. Growing more and more upset he felt along his left arm, trying to feel for numbness that wasn't there. He took a deep breathe and was met with no resistance of lungs or throat.

"You went Red Dragon, Jr." chaos said softly. "What caused you to do that? What happened? Are you ok?"

"I..." Jr. shook his head again. "What are you telling the hospital?"

chaos shrugged and reached into his back pocket. "I told them I was unsure. A non-contact trap or bomb. Assassination attempt?"

He pulled out a Makarov and set it in Jr.'s lap.

"You lied?"

"No. I was unsure and gave them scenarios."

"Huh. You're pretty sneaky, chaos."

"Only when I have to be."

Jr. gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, so um...concussion?"

chaos nodded.

"A bad one?"

"Bad enough for them to want to keep an eye on you for a little while."

Jr. played with his gun absently and felt along his neck again. He really didn't want to believe that something like that had just been an illusion. The thought kind of scared him, to think that his brain could make up something and make it seem and feel so real. He shook his head again, placing hands against his temples. Honestly, he'd wanted it to be real. Not because it brought Albedo back to life. Not because it freed him from the guilt of killing his brother. Just for the simple fact that it would have been proof that he wasn't crazy.

"Jr.?"

He didn't miss Albedo.

"Jr.?"

He didn't. Not at all. He was glad that monster was dead.

"Jr., are you ok?"

He couldn't hurt anyone if he was dead. He couldn't do anything.

"Jr.?"

And Jr. didn't miss him at all.

"Jr.?"

"What chaos? Like my name? Sure do say it a lot."

chaos sighed and shook his head. A bright look of remembrance dawned on the boy's face and he pulled out Jr.'s wallet. "I've paid for the hovercar. Though once I told them that you were the one who had taken them they didn't seem too upset about it."

"Of course not," Jr. smirked, leaning back against the bed with a sigh. "Everyone loves me, right?"

chaos grinned, "You're lucky, Jr. I've got to hand it to you though, you drove it well. If not for the other driver you would have won and no one would have gotten hurt."

Jr.'s expression turned serious. "No one got hurt during my crash, did they?"

"No. Only you."

"Oh," he said, twirling the gun around a finger and shrugging. "Well then I guess it doesn't matter. What does matter," he said, waving the gun at his friend, "is that you have my other gun and I want it back."

"Jr., this is a hospital and you don't even need the gun I just returned to you. You yourself are a weapon and you just proved that by destroying an entire room."

Jr. grimaced at the reminder of his power. "Shut up and give me back my gun."

"For once, Jr.," chaos said, making his way to the door. "I'm going to say no."

"Hey! You can't do that!" Jr. said, sitting up again.

"I'm doing it. Now go back to sleep and rest. You need it. I'll come back to check on you."

The door slid open and chaos was about to leave but Jr.'s voice stopped him.

"Hey, chaos?"

The silver-haired boy turned back to look at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Yes, Jr.?"

Jr. shifted nervously. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what it is?"

He looked down at his hands for a moment, playing around with his gun and he almost asked chaos not to go. He almost swallowed his pride and admitted that there was something wrong.

"About the race..." But Jr. grinned instead, certain that it was just rest that he needed. The accident must have knocked something loose. He was ok. Just a bad dream...

"Did I win?"

* * *

Albedo's return was greeted with a sardonic slow-clap and a deep, mocking chuckle. The white testament coughed a little and took a small gasp before standing up from his seat.

"Quite a show," Virgil said, clapping once more before folding his arms across his chest and sneering behind his mask. "I think you almost killed him though. That part of the plan?"

"How kind of you to wait for my return." Albedo replied. "Has the enticement of Feburary's blossoms begun to bore you, Addict?"

Virgil growled angrily and dropped his arms. Albedo smiled.

"Kid almost died and you're trying to goad me into an argument?"

Albedo grinned mischievously at him and nodded. "Why not? Adverse to my advances? Winter's petals perhaps the wrong color?"

Virgil actually laughed at that one. "You can't be serious."

Albedo sighed, "I have grown so very rusty. The strength of Rubedo's memory is so powerful. Almost enough to have U-DO infect me again. Through skin, suit and divine power."

"That so?"

"If I offered you synthetic skin, Addict and you swallowed it, would the absence of such narcotic in your system stir old needs?"

"Are you coming onto me again?"

Albedo shook his head at the stern tone in his voice. He wouldn't buckle under Albedo. How fun. Virgil was strangely curious though and continued to question his co-worker.

"But why? Appearing for five seconds and torturing him with chemicals isn't going to make him fall in love with you. Isn't that the point? You want him to say it, right? He won't if you keep that up. He'll hate you again."

Albedo tapped a finger to his own lips as if thinking about what the blue testament had just said.

"Before Rubedo can love he must hate. To make me reality that fire has to sear his soul in a way no other being can accomplish. For him to believe he must be broken. "

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then at least I was with him a little while longer."

"Huh. That's pretty fucked up and selfish."

"Love is greedy." Albedo said his voice nonchalant. He placed his white mask over his face.

"Just like sin."

* * *

A/N: Yay! I am done. Hope this chapter wasn't too weird. Reviews are my muse so inspire it up people. CX

Mon Précieux- My precious  
Vraiment- Is that so?


	3. Allow

A/N: I am so so sorry that this is so ridiculously late. It would've been updated yesterday but the two little boys that I was supposed to babysit somehow turned into two little boys, five little girls and a teething baby. What am I a daycare?

Georgia vs. South Carolina last night and apparently everyone needed me to babysit. Hooray for football season! B/c there's nothing I love more than babysitting until 12:30. Oh well. At least Georgia won.

I do not own Xenosaga or its characters or a daycare. (Thank goodness)

* * *

_"When we lose one we love, our bitterest tears are called forth by the memory of hours when we loved not enough."_ - Maurice Maeterlinck

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 3  
Allow

"I can't stand that guy."

Albedo looked up from his musings. "Who?"

Virgil's head motioned over to the "guy" he was referring to.

Albedo turned around and studied him a moment before facing Virgil. "Greed?"

"Is that what you call him?"

Albedo nodded.

"You've got a thing for nicknames, huh?"

"Only if they sting, Addict."

Behind his mask Virgil found the room to grin. "You really are a bastard."

Albedo shrugged apathetically.

"Well I don't like Greed as you put it. He pisses me off."

There were both quiet for a while before Virgil said irritably, "Well?"

"Well," Albedo responded.

"Aren't you going to ask why?"

Albedo, upset that he was being disturbed from his very important thoughts, just decided to go along with whatever Virgil wanted. If it would get him to leave him alone then what could it hurt?

"What is it then, Addict? Tell me your reason."

"He just stands there all day, staring down at that cyborg he's so damn fond of. Have you tried to talk to him? All he does is mutter 'Jan Sauer' in that creepy drawn-out way he talks."

"I do not try to talk to anyone. I believe that you are the only of us who wishes to converse."

"Well excuse me!" Virgil said, throwing up his arms. "I guess I'm the only one of us who remembers what it feels like to be human."

"Perhaps you were the only one who was to begin with."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you wish for it to mean?"

"You are the most infuriating person..."

Albedo shifted a little and sighed, "Greed isn't going to talk to you. Power is the only thing he understands. You, Addict, are not strong enough to gain his attention."

Virgil took great offense to that and was about to show Albedo how offended he was just as the White Testament stood up and moved away. It wasn't an evasive motion and the fact that Albedo had just happened to move at that time pissed the Blue Testament off even more. A secret smile flashed underneath Albedo's mask. That's why he liked Virgil. There was so much meaningless anger inside him and it was so easy to bring about that it took almost nothing. 'A good substitute', he decided.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Virgil snapped. "Isn't that brother of yours a little lonely?"

Albedo paused, waiting to see if whatever his fellow Testament said would warrant his own anger.

"I think he's sleeping."

Albedo took a moment to decide if the tone deserved punishment. After realizing that Virgil was probably hoping he would get angry Albedo sighed.

"I do not wish for Rubedo to die and his injury requires he rest." He stared down at the numbers on the palm of his hand. "I'll allow him this one."

* * *

He remembered. He remembered everything and could replay it back, speak every line of it if he felt the need. Remembering wasn't the problem. Forgetting was.

And forgetting brought back memories. Trying to bury an instant away only seemed to make it more real as if the fact that it was disturbing enough to hide made set it into motion to play as if his memory were a vid he'd watched over and over.

"Not bad," Albedo had said. Jr. remembered thinking how unusual it was to hear him talk that way. He sounded so calm despite the fact that the space around them was collapsing and that his ridiculous notions of higher planes, rotten scaffoldings, and non-existent holidays were simply illusions. Albedo lived in a world of delusion though. None of it mattered and in reality it had just been coercion. Effective coercion.  
"Not bad, Rubedo."  
And he remembered too how in some strange way he wanted to ask Albedo if he was ok. Maybe it was out of habit; a natural reaction to seeing someone hurt or in pain. He had almost voiced the question too, but all that would come out was:

"Albedo...you're..."

"Rubedo, admit it. You enjoyed that, didn't you?" Albedo asked and Jr. distinctly remembered how tired he  
sounded. Almost weak.

"Yeah. It was fun." He answered unthinkingly. It was almost like he wasn't even talking aloud. The words just happened. "My blood danced in my veins. We really are nothing more than instruments of war."

He answered again without thought because for some reason none of this seemed real. It wasn't. It couldn't be. Albedo wasn't weak. Albedo wasn't peaceful. Albedo was insane, he was sick. He was invincible, immortal, indestructible and no matter what Jr. or anyone else did he was still going to be alive. Jr. watched as the mass constricting his twin's body vanished and released him. Albedo stumbled awkwardly down the shallow steps, falling down at the foot of them. His left elbow was propped on his left knee and his right flat against the ground. His head hung heavily as if gravity were pulling viciously down on his figure. He seemed ill but that was ridiculous.

"No, that's not it." Albedo said, his voice still heavy. "We're not foolish because we're tools. It's because we're men."

Jr. remembered thinking that that statement had actually made sense. Men hungered for conquest. Men hungered for strength, power, submission of their enemies. Jr. also remembered thinking then that maybe even in truth that didn't fit this situation. He stared at his twin for a few moments before shaking his head.

_No, because we're boys_. Jr. sent. _It's because we're boys, brothers._

Brothers fought all the time and isn't that what this was? Just another fight, another argument. Things would go back to normal. Jr. would go back to the Durandal and Albedo would pull some sort of magnificent escape back to where ever the hell he had sprung up from. Come to think of it, this was probably just a dream. He'd wake up in his room or in the Durandal's park area where he had fallen asleep after Shion had left. She would come back and find him there, wake him up. Or maybe it would be Mary instead, or Shelley, chaos, MOMO, someone. He'd wake up and have to fight Albedo for real. This was just a silly dream. Practice. Another one of Albedo's mind tricks. Simple link manipulation. The slow way the mass around him shifted, the strange slow-motion affect all of this was having upon him was only more proof, more evidence that this was fake. There was no need for any of this because none of it was real. There was no need for worry. No time to ponder about Heaven or Hell, Nirvana or Oblivion because Albedo wasn't going anywhere outside this domain. This was just another childish episode. They were boys, still boys.

"Oblivion, huh?" Albedo had said and suddenly gravity lessened. The younger twin raised a hand up as if to inspect it. "I guess you might say this is a kind of release."

Then Jr. remembered how his world had shattered and how everything seem to speed up. How reality slammed into him so fast it was almost dizzying. Albedo was fading.

"At least I won't have to fear losing anyone anymore."

"Albedo?"

Jr. had fallen onto the floor in front of him, staring at the transparent limb. Albedo dropped the arm back into the place it had been before and Jr. would never forget the way he looked at him. It was so warm and his voice so gentle but a mocking kind of gentle as if in an attempt to hide emotions.

"What's that face?" Albedo asked, and he almost smiled, "You look like you've just lost your best friend, Rubedo."

And something inside him snapped, broke apart, died. He could almost hear the resounding crack in his chest.

"You bastard! You knew all along!"

He knew he was crying and for once didn't care. Albedo was dying. He'd planned this, he'd known that Jr. would lose control. He'd known he was no match for the Red Dragon and Jr. had played right into Albedo's hand. And now he'd...now he'd...

"Don't be ridiculous." Albedo said, keeping up his act. "I...I can't stand you or Nigredo."

Jr. remembered feeling like he couldn't trust his voice. It would crack like the pain in his chest. So he sent it, pulling forcefully on the invisible string that connected their thoughts.

_Liar! You're a fucking liar! That's all you ever do! Tell me the truth for once! Albedo...You can't go...I won't let you!_

Rubedo...

Jr. didn't respond. He clung to their link as if doing so would keep Albedo alive. He remembered how he suddenly couldn't hear, couldn't see, couldn't think. He remembered how he could tell Albedo was trying to talk to him, trying to tell him something but Jr. didn't care. All he cared about was holding onto him, onto his mind and keeping him there. And he remembered how he couldn't let go.  
Even as the connection was fading. Even as he mindlessly begged Albedo not to leave him.  
He remembered how hard he'd tried to hold onto his connection. He remembered thinking that he should be able to stop this. He was the link master. Even if he couldn't save his body his mind would still be there. He could save him. He could reverse this stupid mistake. He could get rid of this reality. He would wake up and he would resist Albedo's words. He'd be strong enough next time and he wouldn't kill him. He'd make it work. He knew he'd be able to make work. He'd do it right next time. He'd be the brother he was always supposed to be if Albedo would just stay. If he would just stay. If he would just stay...

* * *

He snapped out of his dream violently, grabbing the gun chaos had left for him and pressing it against the person who's hand was wrapped around his arm. The barrel of his gun bit into dark fabric as he readied himself to pull the trigger.

"Well," The person beyond his blurry vision voiced. He knew instantly who it was but blinked again, wanting the image to form before he decided to relax.

"I was worried," the voice continued, "However, if your reflexes are that good then I guess it was uncalled for. Surely this injury can't be too serious."

"Gaignun," Jr. sighed, holding back the relief in his voice and monitoring his thoughts very carefully. Gaignun smiled and removed his hand away from Jr.'s arm.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jr. asked, leaning back into the bed and twirling the gun around a finger. "Aren't you supposed to be listening to some political bullshit right about now?"

"Yes," his brother answered, folding his arms across his chest. "And I would like to thank you for getting me out of it."

Jr. smirked, watching the trigger circle around the digit, creating a slight whirling noise. Gaignun watched amused, waiting for him to say something. The gun completed orbit once more before the soft click. Jr. pointed his gun playfully at Gaignun.

"I almost shot you."

"Yes. I was there when it almost happened."

"Think you could've warned me first?" Jr. pointed to his head. "You know, how about a little knock? We're only telepathic. It's not as if you can't read my mind."

"I wasn't sure how serious the injury was, Jr. I might have made it worse."

"But scaring the hell out of me was better? You. Almost. Died."

Gaignun shook his head and sighed. "You could have died. How are you feeling, Jr.?"

"How are _you _feeling, Gaignun?"

"Jr.," he chuckled, "I'm very serious."

"And that's why you laughed. Nah, I'm fine." Jr. tapped his left finger against the IV in his arm. "This medicine is trying to knock me out but I won't let it."

"You were asleep when I got here," Gaignun pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I didn't fight it! I fought it like hell! It just snuck up on me like you did. Speaking of which, I still haven't gotten an apology."

"I'm sorry then, Jr." Gaignun offered. "And I'm sorry that you were injured. I am curious as to how this happened though. Care to tell me?"

"Yes I care."

"I thought as much. Afraid I'll punish you?"

Jr. laughed, "I'm not scared of you, Gaignun. Who would be?"

"Jr.," Gaignun said and Jr. knew he was in trouble by the stern tone his voice had suddenly taken. "I want to know what happened. Now."

Jr. grumbled. "I'm not a little kid."

"What happened?"

"How much do you already know?"

"Enough."

Damn. Gaignun wasn't going to give him any leeway. Jr. had a lie ready but he hadn't expected Gaignun to actually come all the way from Fifth Jerusalem to make sure he was all right so he wasn't sure how smooth it would sound. He hadn't had any time to practice it or run it by chaos so he would know how far to bend the truth. He took a deep breath, trying to appear hesitant. He kept a watch over his thoughts while he wondered if Gaignun was buying it or not. Probably not.

"Do you remember," he started with a sigh, "last month when I kept begging you to let me have a racecar but you said no because I would probably kill someone?"

Gaignun nodded.

"And you know how pissed I was because I can't just go there and sweet talk them into selling a kid one since I have such a bad reputation for well...blowing things up?"

"Yes."

"You know too then that I never listen to you, right?"

"All too well."

Jr. smiled, "Well I tricked a guy into letting me use his. You know suped up hovercars though, they're unpredicatable. Damn thing went out of control."

"You took it out of auto-pilot." Gaignun said accusingly. "No one drives manual anymore. In fact it is against the _law_, Jr."

"Well what the hell did you want me to do?" Jr. shot back defensively. "Auto-pilot was malfunctioning! The law also says that if a car is malfunctioning then auto-pilot can be disabled in order to avoid wrecks. We both know I'm more than capable of driving one manual and it wasn't my fault anyway. Someone rammed into _me_. Go talk to that guy."

Jr. waved his gun around in an exasperated fashion. "And when you're done bring him in here. I want to talk to him."

Jr. was proud of himself. Gaignun didn't have proof that he was lying. The car was totaled anyway and he seriously doubted his younger brother would go through the trouble of hiring some sort of engineer to find out if the car had in fact malfunctioned. Any other time he might have, just to watch Jr. squirm and make up other outrageous lies but he had to get back to Fifth Jerusalem. Jr. waited for some sign of defeat. A symbol that he had won.

Gaignun only grinned, grabbing a chair and pulling it close to Jr.'s bed. He sat down, back straight and stared at his older brother. After a little while Jr. couldn't take it anymore.

"What?" he snapped.

"The abandoned bridge?"

"That's where I was going to drive it. You know, play it safe so you couldn't complain."

"The area around it had fallen trees."

"What part of malfunction don't you understand?"

"Jr.," Gaignun said, "Your story is plausible and it might convince anyone else. However, there was another car found underneath one of them. Care to explain that?"

Jr.'s eyes went wide. Oh no. He'd forgotten all about Hammer's demolished hovercar. He tried to find an excuse for it but couldn't think of one fast enough. He dropped his head into the palm of his right hand and sighed.

"You were drag racing weren't you?"

"...So?"

"So? Jr., you could have seriously hurt yourself. Why must you always be so wreckless? You could have killed yourself or any one of those civilians. Do you even consider the consequences of your actions? I know I'm not here to watch every move you make but that doesn't mean you are free to do such dangerous things."

"Come on, Gaignun. I was just having fun. I've had a shitload of work since you've been gone. I finally get some free time and I'm not allowed to joy ride? I didn't hurt anyone. The only person hurt was me and I'm not even that messed up."

Jr. frowned, remembering his strange dream and the ruined hospital room. "I'll be good, alright?"

Gaignun noticed something bothering him but before he could ask what Jr. asked,

"So you came all the way home just to see how messed up I was?"

Gaignun nodded, "I was worried once I was told that it was a head injury, but as I said before it seems fine."

Jr. grinned, "So what did you tell her?"

"Her?" Gaignun asked.

"Yeah, the girl you were sleeping with at the time."

"I wasn't sleeping with anyone."

"Oh come on, don't lie to me." Jr. responded, poking at his brother playfully. "What did you tell her?"

"Jr."

"I bet she was disappointed."

"Jr., I wasn't sleeping with-"

"-Nah, on second thought I bet she thought the whole thing was sweet, right: Gaignun Kukai rushing off to see his hospitalized son?"

Gaignun smiled, "Jr., I haven't slept with anyone. Even if I had wanted to I've been to busy."

"Yeah sure, I get it. That's what we're going to tell the girls."

"No, it's the truth."

"You know what I just thought of?" Jr. asked, placing a finger against his chin and staring up at the ceiling.

"There is absolutely no telling," his brother answered.

"If you do the math then you would have had to have been fourteen when I was born."

Jr. smiled at the surprised look on Gaignun's face. Apparently he'd never taken the time to count the years. "And no one seems to care that you're such a man whore, Gaignun."

"You are my adopted son." Gaignun pointed out.

"Everyone thinks I'm your illegitimate son though and that the adoption is a cover-up."

"Then the age difference should prove them wrong."

"Or you could just be a whore, Gaignun. Yeah, that's probably more like it."

Gaignun leaned back in his chair. "I know that you are trying to avoid trouble. It isn't going to work, I'm sorry."

"And I know that you're trying to hide the fact that you're loose, Gaignun, but it looks like that isn't going to happen either."

The two of them were interrupted when the hospital door quietly slid open.

"Master Gaignun?"

"He's awake, Shelley," Gaignun answered, "You can both come in."

"They were waiting?" Jr. asked.

"We didn't want to wake you, Little Master." Shelley said softly as she entered. She looked worried over towards him, walking around Gaignun to get a closer inspection. "Master Gaignun wasn't as afraid as either of us."

"Huh. Well he should've been. I almost shot him." Jr. grinned. Shelley's eyes softened a bit.

"Little Master, how are you feeling? We've been so worried."

Jr. shrugged, "Don't worry about me, Shelley. It'll take a lot more than a car wreck to put me under."

He turned his attention back to the door, frowning."But where's Mary?"

"Surprise Lil' Master!" The blond giggled, jumping into the room. She stood up straight, both hands behind her back. An excited smile was carved on her pretty lips as she giggled and squirmed.

"I brought 'cha a present, Lil' Master!" She sang.

"Sweet! What is it?"

Jr. pushed himself up into a straighter position. "Is it my other gun? chaos won't give it back."

Mary shook her head. "Nope. I might be able to get it back for ya though. If you want."

"Later," Jr. said, waving the issue away. He held up the one he had. "I still have this one so it will have to do. Right now I want that present."

Mary nodded and giggled again. Carefully she moved what she held in her hands around to show Jr. The variant laughed when he saw what it was.

"Alby!"

The puppy barked and squirmed at the sound of Jr.'s voice, trying to get away from Mary.

"How did you sneak him in here?" Jr. asked as Mary placed him on the bed. Alby ran the line of the bed, crawling up Jr.'s chest to lick his face. Jr. laughed and patted the top of the little dog's head.

"Hey there little guy. Miss me?"

Alby responded with a bark, pulling playfully on Jr.'s hospital shirt. Jr. heard Gaignun clear his throat and stopped petting the puppy immediately.

"Alby, huh?"

The small animal's ears flicked toward the noise but he ignored Gaignun and kept biting at Jr., trying to get him to play.

"Ok, it's not what it looks like."

"How much did he cost you, Jr.?"

"He didn't cost me anything! I found him, didn't I Mary?"

Mary nodded, "It's the truth Master Gaignun. Found him runnin' 'round on the bridge."

Gaignun looked skeptical. "Is he real?"

"I'm not sure," Jr. said honestly. He pulled back from a particularly sharp bite. "Hey, quit that. You're supposed to be here to make me feel better."

Gaignun studied the animal, sure he couldn't be real. The dog's white fur and purple eyes seemed too coincidential. Though he couldn't picture Jr. specifically ordering an animal to mimic the image of his twin.

"He's cute though, right?" Jr. asked, pulling his IV away from the puppy before he could get ahold of it.

"And you were planning on telling me when?"

"When I felt like it," Jr. said. He played with the puppy for a little while longer before adding, "I'm keeping him."

"I never said you couldn't."

Jr. nodded, "I know, I beat you to it."

Gaignun shook his head. "Girls," he said suddenly. "I need to talk to Jr., could you give us a moment?"

"Certainly, Master Gaignun." Shelley said, "Come on, Mary."

Mary waved a little before following her sister back out into the hallway. The room suddenly became tense. Jr. tried to ignore it by occupying himself with Alby but it didn't work for long.

"Jr."

"No, Gaignun."

Gaignun took a deep breath and paused, trying to decide the best way to broach the topic.

"Jr., you need to talk to me."

"No."

"chaos told me what happened."

Jr. didn't stiffen or freeze at the statement as Gaignun had expected so he continued.

"You asked for him, Jr."

"...It was just a dream."

"A dream that caused you to go Red Dragon?"

"Yeah. That so hard to believe?"

"Yes," Gaignun said softly, "It is. We have had nightmares, gruesome nightmares, but nothing has ever pushed you to that point before."

"First time for everything."

"Jr."

Jr. sighed and fixed sad blue eyes on his youngest brother.

_I don't want to talk about it._

"But you need to, Jr."

_Please just drop it._

Alby noticed Jr.'s shift in mood and whimpered up at him. He smiled and scratched behind a white ear.

_You can't just show up out of nowhere and ask something like that._

Gaignun accepted the blame Jr. was placing on him and shifted a bit uncomfortably. They'd never talked about what had happened to Albedo. They had never really needed to. Gaignun knew and Jr. had been dead set on almost pretending it never happened. When Gaignun made an effort to get Jr. to talk about it the boy would get angry and cut off contact and/or threaten the closest inanimate object. Jr. had been worrying him a lot lately and with good reason. Apparently in his absence Jr. had pulled a lot of other dangerous stunts: hoverboard down the side of the Durandal while it was still in the Foundation's port, operating a hoverchair into oncoming traffic, and most recently, drag racing. It was a wonder he hadn't killed himself. Gaignun knew why he was doing it. He was trying to distract himself, trying to keep his mind occupied. Gaignun could only do so much being so far away and certainly couldn't stop Jr. if he felt he was doing something too dangerous. It had taken everything in his power to silence Dmitri long enough for him to leave Fifth Jerusalem and he was probably going to pay for it once his father decided to spring up and fight for control again. He would have to leave soon, extremely soon whether he wanted to or not. His eyes landed on the bandage wrapped around Jr.'s head and sighed. Jr. was very good at burying negativity but this was ridiculous. He could see it slowly eating away at him like a cancer and wondered just what exactly had happened because it seemed to be spreading.

"Fine, Jr." Gaignun said, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of Jr. unless his brother offered it himself. "Just...be careful, ok?"

"I'm fine, Gaignun," Jr. sighed, annoyed by his brother's worry. "I'm a big boy now, I can take care of myself."

'I'm not so sure.' Gaignun thought to himself. Jr. caught it though and rolled his eyes.

"If I worried as much as you nothing would ever get done."

"Oh? You mean like the way you're in the hospital for 'getting something done'?"

"Exactly."

Gaignun shook his head, but allowed a small smile to grace his features. He watched the boy delicately dislodge his red hair from Alby's mouth, murmuring something about a chew toy before flashing Gaignun a smile of his own.

"Now get me the hell out of here. I want to go home."

* * *

A/N: Phew! Done. C: A little bit of Gaignun in this one but he won't be in here a lot. Hope it was worth the wait. Reviews are my muse so inspire it up people.


	4. Homecoming

A/N: Ty! You said no more Gaignun! What is he doing here?!

Ok, ok, let me explain. XD  
Gaignun is in here b/c we have to say goodbye to him right? I mean it would be kind of weird if he just suddenly disappeared into thin air...actually I don't think the Albedists would care all that much... Well anyway, my point is that we have to say goodbye to him. Basically we're doing that this chapter, saying goodbye to Gaignun and saying hello to Albedo.

Yes I said saying hello to Albedo, so you should all be happy. XD No Gaignun/Jr. love. It's not twisted enough for this story.

Warning: This chapter is ridiculously long. Like seriously ridiculously long for it to be so empty. XD Does that make sense? Didn't think so. We all know I have a thing for making sure minor characters are there. Sorry. ^^; I'll make up for it next chapter.

I do not own Xenosaga or its characters if I had there would have been a lot more brotherly love XD

* * *

"It's a funny thing about comin' home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You realize the only thing that's changed is you." -Benjamin Button

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 4  
Homecoming

"He's touching him."

Albedo remained silent, ignoring the voice and the laugh unhidden in the words.

"Hey, he's touching him."

Albedo closed his eyes behind his white mask and inhaled sharply.

"Hey, hey! You listening to me?" Albedo didn't shrug off the hand on his shoulder or release the breath he held either as Virgil leaned in from behind to whisper "He's _touching_ him."

Albedo knew that Gaignun was touching Jr. He could see it. The contact was innocent and would not have bothered him at all beyond a small twinge of jealousy if the undertones playing at the edges of Virgil's voice had not been alluding to something entirely different.

"You know," Virgil continued, grinning viciously behind his mask. Oh this was fun. He'd discovered a way to unravel Albedo's newly obtained calm. It was stupid of him, he knew, but Virgil had found the red control button and he just couldn't resist.

"I bet he gets to touch him _all_ the time. And you know what else? He _lets_ him. He just _stands_ there and _lets _him _touch_ him."

Fury was building angrily inside Albedo at every word. It rippled like boiling water in his veins seeking a way to burst through damming skin. His muscles and stance remained relaxed, however. From the outside he seemed perfectly calm as the raw anger coiled tighter and tighter inside him, ready to snap. It finally did with a painful broken force when Virgil whispered, "I think he _likes_ it."

Virgil's mask was ripped from his scarred face just in time for Albedo's fist to land against it. The force was enough to send the Blue Testament staggering backwards a few steps. He didn't have time to think of a counter let alone defense as another blow to his stomach knocked the air out of his lungs and sent him doubled over. He coughed and wheezed against pain on unsteady feet until said feet were knocked out from under him. A foot slammed harshly into his neck and stayed there, pressed against his throat. He choked and glared up at his attacker. Albedo smiled maliciously down and him, his eyes a sickening parody of compassion.

"Now I'm touching you, Addict. Any objections?" Albedo asked. Virgil was snarl was animalistic and threatening in reply.

"I see. How very bold of me, I mistook your playful banter for flirtation. Though I will admit that I don't see much of a protest." Albedo bent down in a strange way, keeping his foot against Virgil's throat. "In fact I think you are enjoying this. Yes, I think we both are."

A shift in the space around him made Albedo look up in time to see Virgil's gnosis. The beast hovered over its master protectively, its round body twitching slightly. The gnosis growled in a way that mirrored Virgil's ealier sound and took a swipe at him, missing by mere inches. Albedo jumped back a bit, the smile still on his face. Virgil grinned back. Albedo might have knocked him down but Virgil had caused him to snap. He'd won. Albedo scoffed at the gnosis.

"Reinforcements." He observed condescendingly. "You neglected to mention that this was a double date, Addict."

Virgil's grin shifted into a smirk. His stance became cocky as he crossed his arms. He didn't say anything, instead raising a hand and beckoning Albedo to come. The White Testament was more than happy to oblige. The space around him began to vibrate softly at first, sending small rumbling waves through the ground beneath him. The waves spread and twisted, becoming more and more violent until the everything around them was nothing more than a swirling mass of shifting space. A piercing sound screamed through the waves and Albedo's features twisted into pure evil. Before he could introduce his "date" a smooth, commanding voice cut through the madness.

"Albedo."

Both Testaments looked over.

"Virgil," The voice said, just as sternly.

They both frowned. Virgil's monster vanished as well as the shaking space threatening to materialize around them. The Red Testament frowned at them behind his mask.

"You are wasting time."

Virgil made a face and crossed his arms. "Wasting time? What the hell are we supposed to be doing?"

"Scientia is on the move."

Virgil shrugged and sighed, "Isn't that more reason for him to send you?"

Kevin's voice was hard when he responded. "You are going, Virgil. Distract them for a while, but do not reveal yourself to her."

"How long is 'a while'?" Virgil groaned, already nauseous at the idea of having to spend time with Voyager.

"Until you are given orders otherwise," Kevin replied. Virgil rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. The mask Albedo had so gracefully ripped from his face disguised him again. He looked at Kevin and pointed to it in an annoyed fashion to indicate his compliance.

"Out," he said and then he was gone.

Kevin nodded to himself, satisfied. His eyes slid over to Albedo's retreating figure.

"Albedo."

The White Testament stopped. "Lust?"

Kevin ignored the name. "...Where are you going?"

Albedo raised a hand to grip the bird-like mask. He looked down at it as if studying it for a moment before chuckling lightly to himself.

"It has been such a long time..." he said to himself more than Kevin. The mask in his hand molded itself into the shape of a smooth, white masquerade mask. It was perfect in its porcelain sheen. Scarlet thread work wove its way along the edges to form into intricate rose petals. He sighed sadly and placed it back onto his face, tying the silk around his head. He looked back towards the Red Testament. Kevin wasn't sure what to make of the look on his face. It seemed to contradict itself, contrast in the set of his lips and the light in his eyes. The mask hid it too well. Albedo tilted his head a little, showing in a similar yet completely dissimilar way that Virgil had his compliance. He turned then and continued his interrupted walk. On his way out he spoke quietly over his shoulder, "I am going home."

* * *

It was a simple and plain fact. Completely obvious really and it hadn't taken long to figure out. Purple eyes narrowed angrily, lips pulled back into a snarl, that low angry growl whenever he got too close.

Alby didn't like Gaignun.

And Jr. found that quite hilarious.

"Hey Gaignun," He said, "Put your hand right here."

"No, not after the last time."

"Aw, please? Please, just one more time."

"I'm glad you're getting a kick out of this."

"Me too. Come on, one more time. One more time. It'll make me feel better."

"You are fine."

"Gaignun! You're making me sick. No, I mean it. Don't roll your eyes at me. I think I'm feeling a little light-headed. In fact if I stare at that wall over there long enough it opens up and a bright light comes shining in complete with a really pretty angelic choir."

Gaignun laughed and shook his head. "Jr., you can't be serious."

Jr. shrugged at that. "You're right I don't know how to be but that's not the topic right now. Please?"

Gaignun glanced over at the puppy curled in Jr.'s lap. Alby glared up at him, eyes wide with warning and ears flat against his skull. He sighed, couldn't believe he would do this again after he had already been bitten but leaned over to touch Jr.'s shoulder anyway. The tiny animal leaped forward but Jr. caught him, laughing as he squirmed and barked at Gaignun.

"I've never seen him act that way towards anybody. You must be a bad person, Gaignun. Is that what it is? Gaignun trying to kill me little guy?"

A sinking feeling arrived in the pit of his stomach at Jr.'s words. He managed to shove it aside and said in a controlled voice, "I would never do anything like that, Jr. You're more likely to kill yourself than I."

"Hah, ain't that the truth! See there, Alby? Nothing to worry about and besides you're going to have to be nice to Gaignun. He lives here or...rather...there," Jr. said, motioning slightly towards the door were the girls sat, waiting for them. Gaignun caught the double meaning in his words and gave him a quick shove while Jr. laughed and held back his guard dog.

"Jr. enough. If you want to leave let's go now or I will walk back to the counter and talk a nurse into making your discharge papers disappear."

"Not like you'd have a hard time..." he murmured.

He carefully put the puppy beside him on the bed and slid down, frowning a little at the pain that he hadn't been completely lying about. Without the medicine in his veins the dull painful throbbing was back, ensuring that he wouldn't be very patient today. Not that he was ever chock-full of virtue to begin with...

Gaignun nodded, dismissing Jr.'s mumbled statement and left the room to give his brother privacy.

After a little while and Jr.-sized tirade later (apparently over his missing earring that had never actually been missing to begin with) the four of them made their way out of the hospital.

"Jr.," Gaignun had said on their way out, amusement in his voice. "You're not doing a very good job of hiding Alby."

Jr. looked up at the younger man and Gaignun almost laughed aloud at the white puppy curled up in the folds of his jacket. Shelley smiled too, able to see a small white ear from his collar. Mary covered her mouth with a hand and giggled.

"Lil' Master," she whispered, bending down, "I can carry him for ya'."

"It's fine," Jr. said, "No one can tell and Alby missed me."

Jr. wondered if the Alby could understand him because the puppy let out a playful bark at that sentence, drawing unwanted attention in the hallway. Everyone around them froze, looking suspiciously at them. Gaignun shook his head while Mary giggled and Shelley gave a quiet laugh.

Jr. sighed, waving a hand at Gaignun to silence him before he could say anything.

_I'll take care of this_, he sent.

He looked around before deciding on a nurse in particular who was eyeing him. He strode over to her, his arms crossed, eyes on the floor.

"Ma'am," Jr. started, his brow furrowing as if what he had to say was very serious business, "I am in no way hiding an animal in my coat, I assure you."

The nurse smiled fondly down at him. He raised his eyes to her, expecting a response when Alby barked again. Jr. froze and coughed into his fist to muffle the sound but the nurse raised an eyebrow at him playfully while the others snickered softly behind him.

"No, no really! Look I know what this sounds like but I just have a really bad--"

Jr. held up his arms in a defensive gesture but doing so caused his hold on Alby to slip and the puppy fell lightly out of his jacket and onto the floor.

"Uh..."

The staff laughed at him and the nurse who he had been addressing placed her hands on her hips.

Jr. scooped Alby up and shook his head, "It's Mary's fault! She brought him in here."

"Lil' Master!" Mary scolded. Jr. winced.

"Fine, it was Shelley."

"Little Master."

"Ok, ok," Jr. admitted. "It was my dad. I was trying to protect Gaignun so he wouldn't get into trouble."

Gaignun's face met his palm in disbelief as Jr. continued on with his story.

"But see, it was only to make me feel better because Alby is allowed in the Durandal's infirmary and...Please don't arrest my dad! He was just trying to help!"

Mary walked over and grabbed hold of one of Jr.'s wrists with a sharp jerk. A frown that was border-lining on a smile was painted on her pretty lips as she began to tug him back down the hallway. Jr. pretended to struggle and fight but allowed Mary finally lead him out the doors of the hospital.

Shelley rubbed her master's shoulder sympathetically, doing a very good job of hiding her own amusement.

"Well at least he didn't say anything about my being a 'man whore'," Gaignun muttered.

"Master Gaignun, we should leave. It would be unfortunate for you to arrive late to Fifth Jerusalem."

Gaignun nodded and removed his hand from his face. He moved away from Shelley toward the nurse to explain his son's (and apparently his) behavior but she merely shook her head.

"It's the least we can do after all of what happened, Master Gaignun," her face turned serious then at the mention of the unexplained ruination of Jr.'s hospital room. "We are terribly sorry."

Gaignun gave her a polite smile, "No, don't worry. We seem to attract that sort of attention. He is safe and that is all that matters."

He gave her a small bow in thanks that made her blush slightly before turning around, taking Shelley's arm in his and walking toward the noise outside the hospital he knew was coming from his "older" brother.

* * *

"Do you really have to go, Master Gaignun?" Mary whined, wrapping her fists in his suit as if she were a begging child. He smiled softly and nodded.

"You know I do, Mary."

Mary frowned and Gaignun, deciding he didn't like that look on her pretty face, placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be home as soon as I can."

Mary pouted and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him one final hug before taking a few steps back so that her sister could say goodbye.

"It saddens me to see you leave, Master Gaignun," Shelley whispered, drawing a finger along his jawline, her eyes following the motion. She looked up at him with a coy smile before planting her lips against his. "Please try not to forget about us, Master," she whispered as she pulled away.

"Oh, I won't anytime soon" he assured with a grin.

She smiled back and pulled away to stand beside her sister. Without the girls blocking his line of vision his eyes fell on his brother. Jr. gave him an expectant look and crossed his arms.

"What," Gaignun asked, raising an eyebrow, "No hug?"

Jr. smirked at him, "I've seen your hugs and I don't think I want any part of them."

Gaignun nodded and turned toward his departure flight.

"Jr...," He sighed, knowing that nothing he could say would get Jr. to admit that he needed help.

"Take care of yourself. It is a little pathetic that the younger brother has to watch over the older."

"It is," He answered.

"You are going to see the Durandal's doctor every day for the next month, understand me?"

Jr. rolled his eyes, "Yes _father_. Anything else?"

"Absolutely no alcohol."

Jr. face dropped at that. "That's not fair!"

"That is, until I get back. Don't think that you can try to sneak any either. By the time you get home the entire crew - and yes I do mean the entire crew: Realians, humans, droids, employees - and even the Elsa will be banning your consumption. Don't think, either, that the Foundation will suddenly become a new source. I have informed all of the bars not to give you anything no matter how cute or charming you appear to be. I _do _mind, I _will_ find out, and they _will _face the consequences."

Jr. glared defiantly at him, letting Gaignun know he was not happy and that he would find some sort of alcohol if only to spite him. The younger of the two knew that this was the best way to keep him from getting as much as he usually would in his absence. He certainly didn't need any while he was still healing but if he happened to find anything it would only be a bottle or two and that was much less than he would have been able to obtain otherwise. Gaignun didn't flinch under Jr.'s glare, knowing it was the best thing even if Jr. wanted to be stubborn and childish.

"Behave," he said. His voice firm and authoritative, but he let the faintest traces of a smile touch the corners of his lips,"And stay safe."

Jr. knew Gaignun was worried about him but this was ridiculous. He pouted a little, crossed his arms again and sighed. Well he didn't want them to part on such a sour note. He decided to give his little brother a break even though he obviously wasn't going to give him any leeway.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Gaignun's smile fully formed then, Jr.'s words giving him a little relief. He nodded and continued to make his way to the shuttle.

* * *

Jr. should have went straight to his room to relax. He should have informed the Durandal's doctor that he was back, maybe even gotten a check-up. There wasn't really much one could do for a concussion but take it easy and rest, though it probably wouldn't hurt to make sure it didn't get any worse. That's what Gaignun would have wanted him to do. Jr. didn't like any of those ideas, however, and decided it was time to pay chaos a visit. He'd been without his other Makarov too long.

"Hey there, Little Master," Captain Matthews said from his seat.

"Little Master!" Hammer was the first to jump out of his seat and rush to him. Tony glanced backward over his shoulder before lifting himself out of his own seat.

"Hey guys," Jr. said, grinning at them. "Seem a little lazy today. Don't you have somewhere to be? Scarp to salvage? You know, Captain, you'll never pay us back this way."

Captain Matthews muttered something and pulled on the bridge of his hat.

"Glad to see you're alive," he grumbled.

"Yeah," Hammer added, "We were worried sick, you know?"

"So what's wrong with you," Tony asked as he made his way to stand beside Hammer. "chaos said you had a concussion or something."

"Yeah but it's no big deal. The hospital wanted to keep me there but I wanted to go back to the Durandal," Jr. shrugged, "Can't really do much for one besides keep tabs on it to make sure my brain's not rotting away."

"We tried to visit you," Hammer said, a hint of apology in his voice."They wouldn't let us in."

That surprised Jr. and the boy frowned, "Why?

"We weren't family," Tony snorted, brushing blond bangs away from his eyes.

"You weren't...Well wait a minute! They let a skinny brown boy in there before you two? Compared to chaos, you guys could be my brothers."

They both grinned at his comment.

"chaos was on some sort of emergency contact or something. I wasn't really paying attention. All I know is that I wasn't allowed in and neither was Hammer."

Jr. sighed tiredly and looked around the room, realizing that the "skinny brown boy" he had just mentioned wasn't at his usual spot.

"Where is chaos anyway?"

"In the men's cabin. He was pretty tired after the whole hospital thing so he went to sleep."

"Without--" Jr. stopped himself. He wasn't sure if the captain knew about chaos and Tony. Matthews might not like the idea of his crew screwing around on him, thinking they might be too easily distracted. Not that it would have mattered anyway. Jr. could force Matthews to get over it and Matthews probably owed chaos just as much as he owed Gaignun and Jr. even if it didn't amount in money. He might still give Tony a rough time and that could cause problems. Jr. just decided to keep the jeers to himself until he knew otherwise.

"Without...giving up my gun? Did you see where he put it?"

Tony seemed grateful so maybe his earlier assumption was right.

"No but he probably still has it on him."

"Hey Little Master," Captain Matthews said from his seat. "What happened in that hospital anyway? Heard there was some sort of assassination attempt. chaos came back pretty beat up."

"Not sure," Jr. lied, turning to head for the men's cabin and get out before he caught himself slipping up on something, "We're looking into it, but like I said it wasn't a big deal."

He waved off the matter, a smile on his face as he said goodbye and reminded them playfully of their debt.

When he entered the men's cabin he found chaos asleep on one of the beds. He walked over as quietly as he could, trying to decide the best way to wake him up. Finally, after considering all the possibilities he pulled out his gun.

"I'm awake, Jr."

'Of course,' he thought, unhappy that his fun was over before it had started. He walked towards the bed his friend was lying in and leaned against a wall. chaos let loose a breath as he turned over to look up at Jr.

"Well, well," Jr. started, crossing his arms. "What is such a pretty boy like you doing in here all by yourself?"

chaos laughed, "Sleeping. You should be doing the same."

"I would be," Jr. said, waving his gun, "If I could have my other gun."

"Gaignun didn't say that you could have it back," chaos pointed out sleepily.

"You're right he didn't. I did. Give it here."

chaos shook his head.

"chaos, please?"

"Will you promise," he started, carefully reaching around Jr. to pull on a glove. "to rest if I give it to you?"

Jr. nodded and backed up so that chaos could have more room to move around. chaos had a weird thing about not letting anyone touch his bare skin. Jr. had never figured out what the reason was behind that. He'd just decided it wasn't any of his business which was sort of strange seeing as how he usually blurted out questions whenever he felt the need. He was so busy wondering why he had never asked that he didn't notice when chaos finally stopped fumbling around his torn clothing to hand him the other Makarov.

"Sleep," chaos reminded him before handing over the weapon.

"Yeah, yeah. I will I promise. It's almost night anyway," Jr. grabbed his gun before chaos could change his mind and shoved it into his pocked. "Though I don't want you and Gaignun to expect me to lay around all day everyday. I want to get back to work tomorrow."

chaos smiled, "Fair enough."

He sat back down onto his bed, running an ungloved hand through his silver hair.

"Hey chaos, I didn't hurt you too bad did I?"

"No Jr., don't worry. I am fine," he said reassuringly. "Did someone tell you otherwise?"

Jr. shook his head, "No, you just look tired."

"I am that," chaos sighed, "But other than that no."

"Then I will get out of here so that you can sleep, buddy. Thanks for disobeying Gaignun. It's getting a lot easier to persuade you, you know?"

chaos nodded, "Yes and that is starting to worry me. Before you know it I'll be just as enthusasitic about your dangerous stunts as Tony and Hammer. Then who will protect you?"

"I can take care of myself!" Jr. defended. He decided now would be a good time to stomp away but paused for a moment and said over his shoulder. "Thanks for not telling them I went crazy."

"What they don't know won't hurt them," he answered simply.

"Thanks," he said again. "For that I won't tell Tony that you were flirting with me."

He heard the boy sigh behind him, "Thank you, Jr." he replied sounding completely grateful and if Jr. hadn't known him so well he wouldn't have noticed the playful sarcasm in it.

* * *

Word that Jr. was on the Durandal must have spread rapidly because the moment he left the Elsa and stepped foot onto the Durandal's dock it was packed with people. The silence was nearly palpable as they turned to stare at him. He flashed them all a mischievous grin.

"Hey guys," he waved.

The silence was broken as four 100-series ran to him.

"Little Master!" They cried in unison, wrapping arms around him gently.

"We were so worried, Little Master!"

"Are you ok, Little Master?"

"We missed you, Little Master!"

"Can we get you anything, Little Master?"

"Heh, thought I'd died, huh? No I'm alright, don't worry about getting me anything."

He untangled himself from them and took a few steps back to give himself room.

"Though girls," he started, giving them his most winning smile. Time to see just how loyal to Gaignun's word everyone was. "I've been feeling a little down today so I was wondering if..."

They all shook their heads, knowing where his question was leading.

"Sorry, Little Master. We are not allowed to give you alcohol of any kind."

Jr. sighed, his smile gone. "Well it was worth a shot."

"We're very sorry, Little Master. We would but it is Master Gaignun's orders."

"I understand," he said, trying his pitiful look. They all giggled at him quietly.

"No, Little Master."

"Man you girls are smart," he laughed, playfully running a hand through platinum blue hair. "Well if you are done seeing through me I think I'll go to my room now."

His words caused another round of giggles that changed instantly to blushes and dazed smiles when he winked and waved them goodbye, making his way through other worried employees.

After talking to everyone and explaining that yes he was indeed fine and that he would really like some alcohol (just to see if someone would give in) he made it to his room and plopped down onto his bed with a relaxed sigh. That sigh quickly formed into a groan as his headache from earlier began to bother him again. For a brief moment he considered going to the Durandal's doctor but decided the bed was too comfortable. It was so comfortable in fact that he almost fell asleep there but a strange scratching noise and a whimper from the other side of his door made him push himself up. He walked over to it and pressed a button. It slid open to reveal Alby sitting patiently, wagging his tail. He barked up at Jr. and stood up on his back legs, signaling for Jr. to pick him up.

Jr. bent down and took the small puppy into his arms.

"You are spoiled rotten," he said absently.

He fell backwards onto his bed, the puppy still in his arms. He sighed again.

"Listen," he said to the white ball of fur on his chest. "If you are going to sleep in here with me you can't hog the whole bed. I mean you are this little," Jr. made a motion with his thumb and forefinger to make his point clear. "You do not need this whole bed."

Alby tilted his head curiously at Jr.'s fingers before licking the tips of them. Jr. shook his head. It wasn't as if the animal understood him so why was he wasting breath on him? He scratched behind an ear and the puppy relaxed against his form, apparently tired as well. He relaxed into the mattress of his large bed and tried to ignore the dull throb of the headache against his skull.

It was strange to him how much more relaxed and comfortable he was here. In the confines of the Durandal everything seemed warm and cozy. No matter what happened he had this place, his sanctuary, his home. Even if the whole world went to hell he could slide behind the doors of his warship and know that he could find some sort of respite behind its walls.

"Psh. Now that made a lot of sense."

He wondered silently if maybe there was something wrong with him, then laughed at the thought. Gaignun's worry must have been getting to him.

**"You asked for him, Jr."**

Why did everyone think him crazy now? It was just a dream. People had nightmares all the time. It only made sense that he would too in his weakened state. He placed a hand over his right chest. He was used to it now, the silence, the emptiness. It was a strange sort of hole, a gaping abyss that anyone looking at him should have been able to see with just a quick glance. He could feel it too. Every time memory would crawl its way into his mind, every time a familar sight or color would pull up nostalgia it would create the dull throbbing pain of memory. A different kind of pain than the one in his head. It felt deeper, more dangerous somehow as if it was slowly consuming him. He hated it. He frowned and shook his head a little, trying to stop an oncoming of said pain right now. He pressed down on his chest absently as if to make sure that his fingers wouldn't slip into the hole his second heart had once lived in. Maybe painkillers weren't such a bad idea after all. If they knocked him out then he could ignore both pains. He sighed, trying to bring back the wonderful feeling of being within the walls of his Durandal. It wasn't working as well as medication would have but he was finally able to relax enough to close his eyes. He stretched a little and, too lazy to get out of his clothes, drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Albedo had always thought that notions of destiny and fate were meaningless words formed by the tongue and voiced by humans in an attempt to shrug off the inevitable or praise a life-changing experience that had benefited them greatly; a way of confirming that not everything they had done had been in vain and perhaps life had a mysterious method of repaying wrong-doings or a defeated acceptance of their helplessness to the occurances around them.

Albedo had always thought such an idea pathetic and weak. He shaped his destiny. He created the world in an image he wanted. His movements caused things to happen because he had willed it. His will, his movements, acts, washed over people and forced them under its wake. His was stronger, better than anyone else. He wasn't a failure, he was perfection and under his power lesser being crumbled. He shaped his existance. His world. Albedo's will was powerful and he was so very good at effecting and influencing the will of others, weaving his way through a person's volition to make his wants into actual happenings. He made lives. He destroyed lives. If it weren't for him people simply wouldn't exist.

He grinned at that last thought. A little presumptious on his part, wasn't it?

Because of that belief it had been hard for him to realize the many faults it had. Even as a Testament - even under the command of the very being that held the ripples and strings that formed Fate in his very hands- it was still hard.

Albedo didn't like the idea of being controlled, of having his entire movements set in stone. He could stop for a few moments and take the time to try and foil the ripples but he knew in the end somehow that would work against him; even his sneaky route to avoid Destiny's path would have been planned-out and documented.

He looked down at Jr.'s sleeping figure. His footsteps were muffled against the carpet of Jr.'s room, lost somewhere in the sound of the boy's breathing. A lovely sound, Albedo decided, pausing to listen to him. Just the same as he'd remembered. His eyes ran the short length of Jr.'s body, pausing on the pile of white fur. He hadn't changed at all; in appearance in attitude, the only thing that had changed was Albedo. Albedo's eyes fell on Jr.'s hand, resting on his chest, on his empty side. Albedo's features softened as he made his way over to his twin. Why wouldn't Jr. just admit it?

"Do you think..." he whispered gently, reaching out carefully towards him with a clawed glove. "That you will ever be able to forgive me, Rubedo?"

This was not the way he had wished for their renunion to take place. His palm flattened over Jr.'s hand, the square of revealed skin touching his. Albedo sighed at the feeling. He even felt the same. The only thing different was Albedo's absence. He admitted that he hadn't expected for it to have affected Jr. this much. It brought him a twisted sort of pleasure to know that Jr. cared so much about him even though he tried to hide it. That was going to make things so much harder.

"Bursting through the front doors with hatred and animosity was not how I wished to return home."

He wasn't exactly sure how he had expected their reunion to play out but he was certain that it shouldn't have been this way. He just wanted to see Jr. so much.

"Though I must admit...the beauty in this structure is so very tempting."

Hah! Tempting? Tempting didn't even begin to describe it. Albedo removed his hand from Jr.'s reluctantly. He turned his attention to the small, already fading scar on his forehead from the wreck he had been in.

"How do you consume my very being?" Albedo asked, painfully. "Devour me, break me, shatter me, destroy me and I will relish every second, every instant of my ruin. If it is you causing such ruination, Rubedo."

Albedo wasn't sure if it was worth it. Suddenly he felt like going back to Wilhelm and telling him that he had changed his mind. He couldn't go through with it. He didn't want to put Jr. through more pain.

"I am a monster, aren't I, Rubedo? And you are the savior, that is, if you find me worth salvation."

No. He needed this. He needed Jr. to admit that he missed him, that he loved him. It was selfish, he knew but...he just couldn't help himself. Jr. awakened things within him, things even before U-DO had infected him and maybe, just maybe, if Jr. could admit how he really felt Albedo could show him that he was more than just this monster.

"So let us begin then. Let us get on with this twisted fairytale. I think we'll play our parts very well. Stunning beauty and despicable monster, Belle and Beast."

Albedo was done deciding. He knew what he wanted. He stared at the spot under Jr.'s hand, the empty spot where his heart once resided. Albedo was tired of standing on the front porch. It was time to come inside.

"Would you welcome me home..." he asked quietly, running his thumb over Jr.'s bottom lip. "Rubedo?"

* * *

A/N: Wow this chapter was a whole lot of nothing, huh? XD I'm sure you're all upset with how long it has taken to finally get there but we're going to get started with this whole nightmarish thing next chapter.

The quote from this chapter might seem a little weird but I was watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button while trying to think of a fitting quote and Brad Pitt just said it and I grabbed it. Seriously fell over myself trying to scribble it down. XD I'm not sure if it fits as well as other past quotes but I liked it.

Hm...well I think that's all. It's finally over. You can go. CX  
Reviews are my muse so inspire it up people.


	5. Visit

A/N: Ok, here it goes; the first Albedo/Jr. chapter! Before you all rush off to read this, I have to warn you of something. Hah, bet you're all getting tired of that huh? ;)

This chapter was very hard for me to write b/c whatever muse I had been usingin to help with Albedo wouldn't cooperate with me. --; This chapter might also be a bit choppy because of the fact that I haven't really had time to work on it until today, so it's been written in sections when I've had time. I really do hope that somehow, through whatever fog is inhabiting my brain, I've managed to satsify everyone with my Albedo but if I haven't you all know who to complain to.

I do not own Xenosaga or its characters or a muse anymore. He escaped. --;

* * *

_"Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light."- _Dorothy Thompson

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 5  
Visit

Dirt. Extremely soft dirt. It was so fine and smooth that it took him a minute to realize he was lying face down in it rather than his bed. Sheets didn't have the habit of getting sucked in with breath either. He coughed and jerked upright, rubbing the grit away from his face and out of his nose. He shook his head and pushed himself up the rest of the way into a sitting position.

"Damn," he groaned, placing a hand against his aching head.

He blinked a little in order to focus his thoughts and eyesight. Where the hell was he? Where ever he was it was dark...and had trees...maybe some sort of forest? He groaned and shook his head. How did he get here? He blinked down at the dirt underneath him, picking some up in his hand to make sure it was real. He sighed and pushed himself to his feet. He felt around in his back pockets for his guns and was happy to find them there. His eyes scanned the dark forest around him, deciding that it had been a good thing that he had gotten his gun back from chaos. Jr. crossed his arms, frustrated, and looked at his surroundings again. Nothing, just trees, forest, and darkness. He started to wonder how he'd gotten there. He instantly ruled out sleep walking from the Durandal to any area as far away as this. Kidnap, maybe? He shrugged. Seriously who would want to kidnap Jr.? Some U-TIC agent out to punish the Foundation? It would be extremely hard to get into and get him out of the Durandal. If anyone had managed that then surely they wouldn't have left his guns on him. Whatever the reason he needed to find his way out of here. Jr. surveyed his surroundings, trying to get a grasp on where he was so that he wouldn't get lost. When he realized that there was nothing distinguishing about his surroundings he sighed. Today just was not his day. Giving up, he started to walk, trying to find something or someone, preferably the former, when a noise caught his attention. He paused for a second to listen. It was a humming sound. Someone was...humming a song?

'Great.' He thought. Jr. pulled one of his guns from out of his pocket. What sort of kidnapper leaves his captive unbound and armed? One who apparently doesn't think his victim is a threat. The idea sparked anger in the red head as he readied his weapons. Jr. was going to make sure that his incompetent captor regretted his decision. He followed the sound using the trees as cover until he could find the source of the noise. He must have been traveling in the right direction because the sound was becoming clearer. He was so close he could almost make out the melody when a terrifying scream made him freeze in place. He made his way to the closest tree he could find and pressed his back against it. He waited for a few moments before another scream pierced through the darkness. It was agonizing, painful scream and the terrifying sound caused him to shiver.

"What the hell is going on?" He muttered, leaning over to look through the trees toward the noise. The screaming had ended but the humming had never stopped. Even now it moved up and down in a lazy flow as if the petrifying wail from before had never occurred. Another paralyzing scream echoed throughout the darkness still again the humming continued, the only breaks in the black melody taken for breath.

"Please!"

Then another scream. The bastard was torturing someone! Jr. pulled out his other gun. Oh hell no. He definately wasn't going to let his captor get away now. Someone needed help, he couldn't wait any longer. He had to find this guy. Now. He moved away from the tree and made his way as quickly and quietly as he could, the screaming growing worse and the humming continuing with its circular tune. It was hard to just follow a noise without any light. He frowned and squinted into the darkness as another peel of terror slithered its way into his bones. He knew he was extremely close when he heard a sharp, sickening snap followed by a hoarse, painful scream.

"Please! Please stop!"

More humming.

"I-I'm sorry! Please!"

He was so close, so close so where the hell where they? He pushed him way past bushes and trees, searching desperately. Dammit he should have been there by now! A disgustingly loud squish and pop found him as well as another tormented scream that seemed to last forever. It was driving him crazy, scaring him. Jr. picked up speed and urgency until a branch caught his leg and pitched him forward. He scrambled to push himself up when the screaming was cut off by a loud crack. Then there was nothing but silence, not even the haunting sound of the demon's voice. He was too late. Oh God he was too late! Jr. forced himself the rest of the way. He had to go, had to make sure. Jr. maneuvered his way through the trees until he stumbled upon what seemed to be a small path. He followed it, grateful that he wasn't so blind anymore.

"The King and his men stole the Queen from her bed,"

Jr. growled angrily. What kind of sadistic bastard was he dealing with?

"And bound her in her bones."

If this guy thought he could take Jr. then he was up for a rude awakening. Jr. knew a thing or two about sadistic bastards.

"The seas be ours and by the powers,"

The small path Jr. had been following began to widen, pushing back bushes and brush, eventually opening up onto a clearing.

"Where we will, we'll roam."

It was easier to see in the clearing. The nonexistent canopy allowed slivers of moonlight onto the ground, throwing everything into a silvery glow. Jr. scanned the area as he cautiously stepped into the clearing. Rushing his assailant probably wouldn't be a good idea especially if he had a hostage. That was, if he wasn't too late... He found a figure and his eyes locked on him. Jr. raised his guns and took a few more quiet steps. The man's back was turned to him, one of his arms moved up and down in a strange motion as if he were shifting through things or sorting them. The damn humming a constant buzz in Jr.'s ears. He waited until the man's arm raised again before he cocked his weapons.

"Stop right there you sick motherfucker!"

The man seemed surprised, shivering a little before freezing in his spot. He moved his head slightly, turning an ear to Jr.'s voice.

"Where are they?"

The man grinned and tilted his head to one side in a questioning motion: They?

"The person you've been torturing." When he didn't get an answer, Jr. fired a warning shot. "If you don't answer me I'll fucking kill you. Where are they?!"

"Prudent, mon Rubedo." The man turned around and the moment Jr. saw the mask covering his features he knew who it was. "One might wake the dead with such anger."

Albedo smiled, pulling the mask away from his face. "Indeed. Such ferocity..."

"Albedo...?" Jr. asked, his breath gone instantly at the mocking laughter he received in response.

Albedo laughed, "Oh what is this? Have you been expecting me? Dreaming of me, hoping for me, my prince?"

"What did you do now you sick fuck?" Jr. took another step forward, his guns focused on his smiling twin. "I swear to God if you killed someone--!"

"Kill? Rubedo, you misunderstand me," Albedo turned around to face him grinning involuntarily at the click heard from Jr.'s direction. "Why, I have only returned to serve my red prince."

Jr. eyes followed his brother's movements as he reached behind him to show Jr. just what he meant by 'serving' him. Jr.'s eyes widened. The long forgotten pounding in his head came back with a powerful force, prompting his heart to follow its tempo. He felt unbelievably sick and dizzy all at once. He blinked trying to force the image to disappear. It wasn't Albedo's sadistic grin or the fact that he was enjoying Jr.'s reaction way too much. It wasn't the dismembered arm held carefully in his claws and it wasn't the fact that it was fresh, probably the cause of earlier nightmarish screams that had torn through the darkness. What bothered Jr. the most was the black sleeve it was still wrapped in and the insignia on the cuff. The Kukai insignia.

"Gaignun..." Jr. whispered, his thoughts still slow and muddled, "Gaignun...Gaignun!"

Jr. ran forward towards Albedo unthinkingly as if he could somehow save him. Before he could take four steps something lodged itself into his right shoulder. The force cut into him sharply and caused him to drop his gun. He looked over to his shoulder, finding a jagged knife buried in it. Albedo made a sharp little tsking sound and shook his head.

"Going somewhere, Rubedo?"

Jr. went to rip the blade from him, then stopped, deciding that it would be better to plug up the wound then allow blood loss. Ignoring the pain and the knife, he raised his weapon to Albedo.

"How could you," Jr. shouted, "You bastard!"

Albedo tilted his head to the side, a mocking sadness creeping its way across his features. "Mourning your Executioner? What kind of beast must I become to gain your favor?"

The sadness was gone in an instant, replaced by his earlier grin as he glanced sidelong at the limb in his hand, taking a quick step to his right. Behind him lie two open graves and Jr. instantly recognized them from the enchepalon and from his disturbed memories of Abel's Ark.

"I have slain your green eyed monster! Crushed him, made him plead for forgiveness and still you abhore me!"

Jr. fired stiffly and within seconds the bullet cut through Albedo's stomach, making him laugh crazily and drop the arm into the grave closest to him.

"Indeed! That is what I desire! That is what I want! Give it to me, Rubedo! Show me that anger! How I have longed for its heat, its fury! Too long have I been deprived of this malice!"

Albedo's words were fuzzy and clouded in Jr.'s mind, muddling into even worse nonsense than he was certain his deranged twin was spewing. He fired again but it never met his target. Confused, he shot again, blindly, and missed once again. He never missed, never. Something was wrong, very wrong. He shook his head and tried to focus but the pain in his shoulder was beginning to flare. It was a strange pain, one that made him weak. It could almost feel it spreading in venomous tendrils through his veins. He shot again and fell to on one knee, his breathing was becoming heavy and his eyesight flickered in and out. He tried to shake it away, clear his mind but it wasn't working. Albedo laughed and advanced on his brother, taking purposely slow steps to antagonize his slowly weakening better half.

"'Critos, we owe a cock to Asclepius,'" Albedo quoted darkly,"'Pay it and do not forget.'"

Jr. tried to glare at his older self but as the words made their way through his clouded mind he suddenly realized why he was so sick.

"You...poisoned me...!" Jr. accused, dropping his remaining gun and ripping the knife from his shoulder. He winced and bit his lip as the poisoned blade opened up the wound and allowed the blood to pour down his arm almost in a fountain. Albedo was closer than Jr. had thought, his perception and world shifting and spinning at dizzying rates around him. The next thing he knew, Albedo's large hand was wrapped around his shoulder, applying painful pressure as he whispered,

"Does it hurt, mon Rubedo?"

Before pushing him hard onto his back.

"Why, Albedo?" Jr. choked out, remembering the screams he had heard earlier. Why couldn't he have been faster? He might have made it in time!

"My prince," Albedo answered, leaning forward to whisper into Jr.'s ear. "You are much stronger than I. To force a Dragon's compliance one must introduce trickery, is that not right? For what is one Phantom against such an adversary's Fire?"

Jr. growled angrily at him and felt Albedo grin in response. "So weak and still you deny my presence. Yet you bow to your Executioner. Kneel before his feet and allow the blade beneath your chin. Access to this perfect flesh only to rend it in twine!" Jr. felt the claws of Albedo's white gloves on his skin, teasingly close to slicing his throat.

"While I wait patiently for you, Rubedo, kneeled before your own alter as you tear out my heart! Come on! Rip it out! It is not my own, never has been!"

"Albedo, it was never like that. I've...it was never like that! What kind of sick fucking fantasy world are you living in? I have no idea what the hell you're talking about! You killed Gaignun because you thought...!"

Albedo sunk the tips of his sharp gloves into Jr.'s skin.

"Your Executioner!" Albedo yelled harshly, pulling back to glare at him. "Your Assassin! The man who awaits your demise! His sins had to be punished. I tore him from that pedastal you placed him upon and watched his fall from grace!"

Albedo's lips returned to Jr.'s ear, whispering once more as if in secret, "I enjoyed every moment of it."

"Albedo! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jr. screamed angrily, trying to move away from him. Albedo wrapped an arm around his brother's back and pulled him closer, holding Jr. as the boy squirmed and cursed at him.

"Why are you back? To bury Gaignun? To torment me? How...how could you?! He was our brother! You killed our brother! There's no way in hell anything you ever do will fix that!"

The seemed to surprise Albedo and he pulled back, a slightly perplexed look on his face.

"All the Kings horses and all the kings men? Why would I bother putting him together again? Enough talk of Nigredo. What about me, Rubedo?" Albedo's gaze turned angry, contradicting the warm smile on his lips. "Would you dare piece me back together? Connect the shards of the monster you murdered? Puzzle together this disarrayed jigsaw? No of course not! Why should you waste your precious time, Rubedo?!"

Jr.'s eyes flashed furiously at his twin and he pressed his hands flat against Albedo's chest, trying futiley again and again to make the space between them wider.

"Obviously I didn't need to!" Jr. shouted, "Your being alive is proof of that!"

"And are you not happy?" Albedo asked, letting Jr.'s body fall back onto the soil.

"I..." Jr. said, trying to collect his thoughts, but Albedo answered for him.

"No, how could you be? What hero has ever been thankful to find his most wicked nemesis breathing? The very breath he stole returned to his body. To find him animate! To find him alive!"

"That's not it! Albedo, that's not true! You tricked me into it. I didn't want to hurt you. I just...I just wanted you to stop!"

Jr. held back a cry as Albedo's hand pressed painfully against his wounded shoulder, the poison in his system making him sick to his stomach at the touch.

"I never thought I would kill you but you knew! You drove me to it, knowing what would happen. You can't blame me for something you wanted!"

Albedo's crazed laughter rang through his couldy mind. "The blame then falls to whom?"

Jr.'s didn't answer, as if the response would hurt him and Albedo smiled.

"Despair not, my Red Prince." Albedo said gently, his breath ghosting over Jr.'s neck. "I wish only to return the favor."

Jr. whimpered at the crushing pain that washed over him as Albedo's grip tightened around his shoulder. He wasn't about to give the bastard the pleasure of hearing him scream but holding it back seemed to make him weaker and brought black spots into his vision. "Your subservient King has buried your treacherous Queen, Rubedo, and yet he is still not satisfied."

Jr. shivered at his voice and the proximity of it.

"Why is that?"

"Because you're a damn lunatic!"

"I've missed you, Rubedo," Albedo whispered, pressing his lips against Jr.'s ear.

"Albedo, what the--" Jr. started at the feeling of Albedo's lips on his skin but was cut off when those same lips met his. Jr.'s breath vanished instantly as his mind tried to make sense of this action. He wasn't even sure if what was happening was real until he felt Albedo's lips moving against his own.

"Mmm, Rubedo," Albedo moaned against his lips, "How long I have wanted to do this."

"Stop, Albedo! Stop playing games with me," Jr. said, pushing against him desperately.

"Games? Rubedo, I had not known we were playing. However, it seems that your side is losing," Albedo pulled Jr. closer, running his mouth over every inch of Jr.'s neck. "To the victor go the spoils."

Jr. tried to escape his brother's touch but nothing was working. His weapons were lost somewhere in the darkness, his mind slowly making its way there too as Albedo's grip and his poison rooted him in his place. Albedo's lips found their way back up to Jr.'s.

"I missed you, Mon Précieux," he said, pulling back, "Did you miss me?"

A glove found its way under Jr.'s shirt, playing with his skin, the action making him feel even more sick and confused.

"Do you miss the sound? Is that why your sleep is so restless? Am I the demon hiding in your nightmares Rubedo? In your memory?" Albedo moved his face to nuzzel Jr.'s neck. "Is the silence of bells at midnight too much for you, Dragon?"

Jr. shook his head and squirmed away from his touch.

"I don't miss you."

Albedo grinned, "Now is not the time for levity, Rubedo. Why, I would say that this matter is quite serious."

His voice changed from his usual sickeningly sweet tone to a harsh one as he spoke, "Do not lie to me, Mon Précieux_._"

"I don't!" Jr. shouted, or as close to a shout as he could manage. He felt the claws on the his chest move down slowly before freeing itself from Jr.'s shirt. A sigh escaped his lips as he pulled away. Jr. tried to keep his eyes on him to prepare himself for whatever his demented brother had in store but his fading vision wouldn't cooperate with him. He felt Albedo's arms slide under him and lift him up.

"Have it your way, Rubedo."

He was vaguely aware that he was being carried somewhere but everything looked black and twisted. It wasn't as if he could do much about it anyway. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing. It seemed he actually had to think about it now, as if his lungs wouldn't respond on their own.

"Such a shame, such a waste. To throw away such a beautiful work of art. Yes indeed a shame, for I have always wanted this particular masterpiece. I believe that is all I have ever wanted."

"Albedo...what...where are you taking me?"

Albedo sighed sadly. "Lying, Rubedo, isn't a good thing to do."

"Neither is killing your baby brother!" Jr. snapped.

"Indeed, it isn't," he answered shruggingly, "Though honesty is so very important and I am afraid a lesson must be taught. That is, if you will allow me to teach you."

Jr. struggled uselessly in Albedo's arms.

"Disobedience," he observed, happily. "Marvelous."

Jr. was about to ask what that meant when the arms supporting him suddenly dropped and he fell a few feet before landing hard on something. He groaned and tried to push himself up, but didn't get very far and ended up only propping himself up on his side. He looked around him, blurry vision making everything so hard to make out. After a time of shaking his head and trying his best to focus he was able to make out the area around him.

"Wood...?" Jr. asked dumbly, clutching his bleeding shoulder with a hiss.

His eyes widened. Albedo had thrown him into the other grave and straight into a coffin.

"Ah, such a perfect fit! I should have expected no less from perfection himself, however. Do me a favor, Rubedo and forgive me."

"Never, you bastard."

"Such flames!" Albedo said sweetly, "There is never a dull ember, only pure flames! Only blue and searing! Melting hot, enough to burn suns! Dear God Apollo, Rubedo is burning your stars!"

The madman placed himself right on the edge of the coffin, lying on his side in a mirror image way of his brother. His eyes glinted darkly.

"Rubedo is burning your stars."

"I swear to God, Albedo, when I get out of here--!"

"You'll do what, Dragon?" Albedo asked, placing his hand on the lid of the coffin, toying with it. "Would you bark at me more? Roar? Burn stars? Flames white-hot instead of blue?!"

Jr. glared up at his brother menacingly, trying to hold back the blood seeping beneath his fingers.

"Weak! You are so very weak, Rubedo. Powerless against me. How wonderful, how sensational, how exciting. Never in our bloodied histories has such an abnormality occurred."

"Nigredo suprised me," Albedo said, reaching an arm to the open lid of Jr.'s casket. His fingers played with the edge as if to close it.

"His fighting was problematic." Albedo said sullenly, "He didn't fit into his role as well as you, Rubedo. He wasn't easy to collapse either. Such a cumbersome task! It was difficult to fit both of them in there. The Executioner and his sin are wound so very tight."

"And what about yours?!" Jr. shouted, trying again to push himself up.

Albedo blinked a little, "Mine? Why Rubedo, my dear sweet prince, you are my only vice."

"The hell I am!" Jr. winced at the pain in his arm. "Albedo!"

"Shh," Albedo said, pressing a finger to his lips. "The time for granting wishes and favors has long passed...

Jr. snarled up at him, causing Albedo to smile at the sound.

"Though I suppose...if you really loved me, enduring madness would have been more appealing."

"What?" Jr. asked, confused.

"It is not in a Dragon's nature to care, is it, Rubedo? Not for his Phantom."

"It's your own goddamn fault, Albedo! If you wouldn't hurt people, if you didn't ruin everything! If you didn't...if you hadn't..!" Jr. paused for a moment. Something wasn't right.

"Rubedo?"

"...This...isn't real."

Albedo's brow furrowed at the comment as he stared down at his older brother.

"Illusion?" Albedo said, a grin forming on his lips.

"Gaignun wouldn't beg you for anything. Even if he was about to die he'd never give in to you! And even if you managed to kill him you wouldn't bury him! Quit fucking around! You're not real! None of this is!"

Albedo pushed himself off of the edge and jumped down into the coffin, crouching over Jr. He grabbed the boy's chin and forced him to look up at him an evil smirk on his lips.

"Is that so, Mon Précieux?"

"You are dead," Jr. said sternly, finality in his words, "and I have to deal with that. This is a dream, just like in the hospital."

Albedo's grin widened, "It seems that my Rubedo does not know what reality is."

He bent lower so that his lips were once again hovering over his twin's."Perhaps I should show him?"

Jr. didn't respond, lost in his own mind, hoping and praying that his revelation was right. He cringed as Albedo's thumb ran along his bottom lip, his purple eyes thoughtful.

"Whatever truth resides in me, Rubedo, surely will be known to you. Experience is learned better when gained than by word," A dangerously coy smile graced his features his eyes met Jr.'s "Than by tongue, don't you agree?"

Jr. tried his hardest to do something or say something harmful but he felt so sick. He stared with weak fury at his other half, trying to find his voice or the will to move his muscles. He struggled with his breathing, shivering from the sudden cold chill that was slowly clawing its way up his body.

"I pray you slumber soon," Albedo said, placing a kiss on his lips before jumping out of the grave to stand at its feet. He smirked down at his brother, his arms crossed.

"Albedo...!" Jr. gasped, trying to push himself up.

"I look forward to our next visit, Rubedo."

There was a loud _bam_ as Albedo threw the lid of the casket closed.

* * *

Jr. sat straight up in his bed, accidentally knocking the sleeping puppy off of his chest and onto the floor. His eyes opened up to the grey walls of his Durandal, but for a moment he didn't believe it.

'Gaignun...'

Jr. opened a small link to find his brother alive and working on something complicated. Jr. shut the link as quickly as he opened it before his youngest brother could detect him there. He looked at his shoulder and ripped off his trenchcoat hurriedly to check it. Overwhelming relief washed over him at the sight of it.

"Little Master?"

Jr.'s head snapped toward the voice, a gun already pointed at the speaker. The actions startled the 100-series and caused her to jump a little and drop the tray of food she had been holding. Jr. didn't drop his stance, however. He was still a little shaken and uneasy. The Realian frowned and bent down to pick up the tray she had dropped.

"I'm sorry, Little Master," she said hurriedly, "It was rude of me to just barge in like that. I know I must have startled you, but I was told to check on you and see if you were alright."

Jr. shook his head, a symbol that no, it wasn't her fault but he didn't voice it. He frowned, nervous and still wary. Alby jumped onto the fallen food and licked happily at the Realian's gloves as she scrambled to pick everything up.

"I...it's ok," Jr. finally said, shaking his head and dropping his gun back to his side. He placed his now empty hand against his forehead. "I...What time is it?"

"It is 10 o' clock, Little Master."

"That late, huh?" Jr. said, trying to rub away the dream and all the disturbing images with it.

She nodded, holding her tray nervously, clearly upset that she had ruined her master's food. Jr. gave her weak smile.

"Hey, don't worry about the food. I'm not hungry anyway. Alby seems to like it though. Thanks for saving me the trouble of feeding him."

She shook her head and blushed, "Of course, Little Master."

He rubbed his shoulder absently. There were no words to describe his relief but he had just proven that the entire incident was a dream. That's all it was. These silly little nightmares would stop as soon as his head was healed and even if that was a while he was going to be alright. He checked the link once more just to be sure Gaignun was alive before leaning back into his bed.

"I wonder why my alarm clock didn't sound," Jr. said absently, hoping to get his mind away from the dark dream and onto something else. He poked at it a little.

"Oh, I was told to turn it off, Little Master, so that you would sleep later."

Jr. picked up the slim digital clock and reprogrammed it. If he was going to have to live through nightmares for a little while he was at least going to wake up earlier and shorten them. If his alarm clock had sounded maybe it would have happened differently.

"Are you ok, Little Master?" The 100-series asked. "I was told to tell you that you wouldn't have to come to work if you did not feel like it. chaos is coming to escort you to the doctor."

"Escort?" Jr. said, an incredulously. "What escort?"

She shrugged, making the dishes on her tray rattle slightly with the movement.

"I assume it is to make sure you arrive," she said, smiling a little.

Jr. snorted, another precaution. He sighed and rubbed his head. Pain meds might not be such a bad idea and if it got him over whatever this was faster then he was up for it. There was too much work to be done for him to be injured anyway. He pulled back on his trenchcoat, making a face at the feeling. He really needed a shower before he went to work. If he went now then chaos would probably be there by the time he got out.

"I think I'm going to shower before he gets here, ok? Tell Mary and Shelley tha--"

A sharp cry cut off his sentence as strange pain caused his right shoulder to jerk back roughly.

"Little Master!" The 100-series said worriedly, setting down her tray and rushing over to him. Jr.'s hand flew to the pain instinctively.

"Little Master! You're bleeding!"

Jr. removed his hand to find that she was right. Crimson blood was staining through his coat and onto his palm. He felt it sliding down his shoulder and arm, wet and thick. He pulled the coat off again and almost fainted at the sight. The wound was a clean slice, the blood only trickling out at the edges. Jr. shook his head and blinked that didn't make sense. Nothing was blocking the liquid's flow, it should be pouring out of him.

"What..." Jr. wondered, reaching his fingers over to the gash. Oh no...

He could feel himself getting dizzy, that strange haziness that had clouded his vision in his dream returning with full force, twisting the shape of his agape Realian as she desperately tried to cover the wound. She didn't get very far before whatever had slammed into him twisted the inside of the gash, rending red muscles and tissue as it moved and pulled away. The flow of blood was freed and burst from his skin.

"Just like..."

Jr. swayed gently, the terrible sickness crawling up his body. He suddenly felt cold and weak. He fell backwards onto the bed, breathing heavily.

"Little Master!" The girl cried, her bloodied gloves covered in it. Her eyes met with his closing ones worriedly. He shook his head.

"It's not..." Jr. winced. The poison, she need to do something about the poison. Stopping the bleeding wouldn't help anything if he didn't get this posion out of his system.

"Hem...Hemlock..."

Her eyes widened and she nodded. Without another word she slid arms under him and rushed him to the infirmary, screaming for the doctors. The last thing Jr. remembered thinking before his world went black was that he was entering another nightmare if he wasn't already in one. He prayed to God Albedo wasn't waiting for him in its shadows.

* * *

Virgil pouted. He was thoroughly displeased with the fact that he had had to spend time with Voyager and miss Albedo's first act. He crossed blue arms and frowned behind his mask. The universe was completely unfair. He shrugged. Well this certainly wasn't going to be Albedo's last visit. There were plenty other acts to follow. The first one he had wanted to see just because of Albedo's apparent hesitance. Hell, what was he so hesitant about? Hadn't he said he was selfish?

He looked over at Voyager with something akin to disgust. He hated the way he stood without his mask. No one wanted to look at him. While he was busy grumbling to himself and hating Voyager, Albedo arrived. It took Virgil a moment to notice his return but when he saw him he immediately made his way over. He was sure not to look too eager with his walk. He didn't want Albedo to think he liked him. His company was just the most tolerable.

Virgil noticed something different about him though. The strange calm that he had been embodying before he left seemed to have been left behind on his last trip. He seemed jittery, excited. Interesting.

"Have fun?" Virgil sneered.

Albedo's mask snapped to his and he seemed to pause as if he had to think about it for a moment before nodding.

"Really," Virgil said, his voice dark. "And how is he?"

"Who, Addict?"

"The boy," Virgil said, exasperated. "Who else?"

Albedo shivered hard and pulled his mask away from his face. Virgil was surprised into silence at the genuine smile he found behind it.

"It...was fun..." Albedo replied.

The White Testament raised his right hand to his face to stare at his numbers. "Yes...very entertaining. Wouldn't you agree, Rubedo?"

* * *

A/N: Look who's done! Phew what a terrible chapter. Well at least I attempted. XD

Reveiws are my muse so inspire it up, people. ;)


	6. Scattered

A/N: Ok, so I had told a few of you that it would be a long time before I updated again. Originally, I had lied and was going to surprise everyone with another already finished chapter.

But my computer decided to attempt suicide the same time my pregnant niece was sent to the hospital for some mysterious illness and I've only just now gotten time to try and fix this computer. Yay it works! I'm not sure how long it's going to work though so I'm going to stop talking and press the update button.

I would like to thank everyone for all the wonderful reviews! They make the ideas flow so much better.

Oh look! A Disclaimer!  
I am obligated to say (again) that I still do not own the Xenosaga series or its characters and I never will.

* * *

_Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,  
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,  
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,  
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.  
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-  
Only this, and nothing more."_

_-_Edgar Allan Poe's_ The Raven_

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 6  
Scattered

This was exactly what he needed. Jr. leaned back into warm, cascading water. It was wonderful, heavenly. He could literally feel the water washing away the darkness of his previous nightmares. He looked down at himself, eyes scanning skin. He checked his arms and shoulders and tapped his ears, half expecting the black slime to come sliding out and down his neck. When he inspected his hand again it was clean. Only red numbers stared back at him. Jr. traced a finger over the numbers and sighed. This water felt amazing. He had never been so thankful for water in his entire life. He wanted to stay under the soothing spray all day. Maybe he should take a bath. Now that sounded like a good idea. He frowned a little at the thought. He really didn't have time to waste. Mary and Shelley had already given him a good three extra hours and he still had to see the doctor. He should probably just get clean and go. chaos would be waiting for him. Hadn't the 100-series said something about an escort? He snorted at the thought. He wasn't going to collapse on his way to the damn doctor. Why did everyone think he was so fragile? Jr. looked around the shower and found his shampoo bottle. He took it and poured some onto his red hair, sulking slightly. It was ridiculous. He has one wreck and the whole world goes to Hell. Everyone just needed to lay off. Maybe if they would give him some space he would be able to heal faster. He smirked slightly. That was definately what he was going to tell chaos when he came to "escort" him. He ran fingers into his short hair, working the soap into it. Whatever. It didn't matter. He just wanted to get all of this over with. As soon as he was healed and Gaignun was home then he could get back to slacking off. He hated to admit it but he missed his brother...missed all the work he could dump on him. Jr. would have to make him pay for all of this when he got back. That and some form of alcohol because Jr. was certain he was going to die without it. Stupid medicine. He accidentally knocked over his shampoo bottle and it made its way onto the slippery shower floor, trying its best to trip him. With an exaggerated sigh he bent down to pick it up, deciding that he could pull himself away from the water for a moment to place it back onto its shelf. When he had placed it up there however he noticed that his hand was covered in his red hair. Confused, he brought it to his face. He swiped his other hand through his hair and held it next to the other in order to compare the two. Both were covered in his hair. He frowned and moved to wash the shampoo out of it. Hair fell out all of the time in the shower. That was the reason for baths and showers wasn't it? To clean all of the dead skin and hair away. But when Jr. pulled away from under the stream and ran his hand through his hair again he realized it was falling out in clumps.

"What the hell...?" Jr. murmured.

What was going on? He washed his hands free of his hair and shook his head. He must be imagining things. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had a hallucination. Why would his hair just suddenly start falling out? He hadn't underwent any treatment and he wasn't sick...And why were his eyes burning? Jr. stuck his hands under the water to make sure they were free of any suds before wiping them across his eyes. The answer for this one could be simple too. It was just soap. When that didn't alleviate the burning sensation he moved directly underneath the water. Still nothing. He couldn't even take a shower anymore! Jr.'s wonderful mood effectively shattered, he turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. The stinging in his eyes wouldn't stop however and it was making his eyes water. With another dramatic sigh he ran the towel over his eyes and through his hair. As he'd expected, the towel was covered in his red hair, as if he were shedding. What caught his attention this time was the two smears of blue on the towel. Blue? Where the hell did that come from...?

Jr. jerked a hand up to his watering eyes and swiped the corner of it. When he pulled his hand back down he found the tip of it stained blue. Worry wormed its way into Jr.'s chest and he moved quickly to the mirror in his bathroom. He cleared away the condensation that clouded its surface to stare at his reflection. He had been wrong, his hair wasn't falling out or at least not at the roots. It was changing color. His hair was white, pure white. In his disbelief, Jr.'s hand reached up to touch the top of it, to run fingers through it. It didn't make sense. Remembering the blue on his towel Jr.'s eyes snapped to his reflected ones. Two blue lines traveled down his cheeks, making their way towards his chin as if draining the blue to make way for dark purple. No, no no no. Something was wrong. Jr. rubbed his eyes again and looked back at himself, but the image was still there. No.

"No..."

"What is wrong, Rubedo?"

Jr.'s shook his head and closed his eyes. No. It wasn't real, it wasn't real.

"Do you despise my image that much? Am I so grotesque that you can not even fathom the truth? Rubedo?!"

"Leave me alone!"

Jr.'s eyes met his reflection again to find him laughing. It was cold laugh, a taunting one.

"I enjoy yours Rubedo."

Albedo's form suddenly burst through the glass, an outstretched arm grabbing Jr.'s throat and pulling him close. Jr.'s hands pulled desperately at the hand around his throat. Albedo responded with a devilish smile.

"I'm coming for you, Rubedo." He whispered. "The Phantom is coming for his Dragon."

* * *

He jerked awake, causing the pain in his shoulder to protest. He looked over at the bandage wrapped around it, trying to make sense out of where he was and what had happened. He touched it absently and cringed slightly. How the hell had that happened? Jr. closed his eyes and tried to think...his eyes! He quickly and carefully pushed himself up. He needed to find a mirror or something that would show him his reflection. As soon as he sat up an overwhelming dizziness assaulted him. He raised a hand to his forehead, trying to steady himself.

"Jr.?"

"chaos?" Jr. asked as the hazy figure of his friend moved toward him.

"Jr.," And this time it was a sigh. He felt a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "Are you ok? How are you feeling?"

"It's...hard to see. I feel...sick."

The hazy figure in front of him shifted slightly in what Jr. took to be a nod.

"Yes, that's normal. I'm glad that you are awake."

Jr. sighed and shook his head. "Don't...move around so much. It makes me queasy."

"Sorry," chaos apologized, a small smile on his face.

"chaos...?" Jr. asked slowly, happy that his eyesight was beginning to focus. He was thankful when he saw that chaos was indeed chaos and that at least this time, even if it was a dream, that it wasn't a nightmare.

"Yes, Jr.?"

"Can I have a mirror?"

chaos nodded at the strange request and moved around the room until he found a small one and handed it to him. Jr. closed his eyes tightly before taking a deep breath and opening them onto his reflection. It was him. His red hair, his blue eyes. It was him. There were no words for his relief. It washed over him in crashing waves and he ultimately had to lean back against his bed. He covered his eyes with his hands.

Alright, first things first, what the hell happened? Shifting through his broken memories he pulled out small pictures and tried to categorize them into something that made sense. Needless to say, it wasn't working. He remembered coming home to the Durandal from the hospital. He remembered seeing Albedo in that same hospital... He also remembered that chaos had said that wasn't true. It had been an illusion. He remembered seeing Gaignun come and go. He remembered visiting the Elsa...chaos...being extremely tired...answering the door for Alby...falling asleep...

Then his nightmare. He ripped it apart, trying to peg pieces of it for any sort of corresponding realities.

"chaos, have you talked to Gaignun today?"

"No, but I believe that Shelley was talking to him when you were admitted..."

Jr. waved a hand at him, signaling that that was all he need. Gaignun was alive. Good. He removed his hands from his eyes and examined his bandage. His shoulder was wounded in the exact same way as it had been in his dream. And the poison...

**"What kind of beast must I become to gain your favor?"**

Albedo is dead. He felt his hand wrap around his shoulder. Albedo is dead. Albedo is dead. Albedo is dead. Albedo is...

"Jr.?"

"chaos, you're really going to wear my name out."

God, he'd never get tired of chaos' smile. The guy exuded peace, calm, tranquility. There was no way he would ever have a major role in the cinematic nightmares that his dreams had evolved into.

"Happy with your appearance?" chaos teased, tilting his head to indicate the mirror in Jr.'s lap.

"Always," Jr. replied.

"Jr..."

"Let me guess," Jr. said, raising a hand slightly to silence his friend before he could continue, "You want to know what happened."

chaos simply nodded. Jr. wasn't sure how to answer. He could give him the truth. The only problem with that was that he wasn't even sure what happened and he didn't want chaos thinking that he was going crazy, even if he was. He could always fabricate something last minute that barely fit together and had a plasma cannon-sized hole in it. He decided to merge the two.

"I'm not sure. I was...ambushed by someone. I don't know who it was. It was dark and the attack surprised me. I heard the guy and jumped up but he threw a damn knife at me. I left it in at first because I didn't have anything to bandage it and I couldn't fight with blood pouring out of me. I had to pull it out once I realized it was laced with poison."

As he had expected, chaos was automatically suspicious.

"Hemlock? That seems like a strange poison to put on a blade."

"No, no, it's a good one...If you know what you're doing..." Jr. murmured, noting the absolute numbness in his legs. He still couldn't feel them. At least the strange cold that had been encroaching him in his dream was fading along with his blurry vision. "But that's...that's not the point."

chaos was quick to think of another question. "How did you know what it was, Jr.?"

Jr. averted his gaze from chaos', having a strange feeling that he could see the truth burning in his pupils.

"He said something, something I recognized."

"Something that told you the name of your poison?" chaos said, confusion in his voice. "If he had been trying to kill you, why would he tell you the kind of poison in your system?"

Jr. shook his head. "No, I...I don't know why, chaos. I don't understand why any of this happened, ok? All I know is that what he said struck a chord and I realized what it meant."

chaos' words had seemingly struck the same chord. He was right. Why would Albedo tell him what kind of poison was let loose in his system? It was true that his brother loved to taunt Jr. It apparently gave him some sick sort of pleasure to have control over Jr. but if that was all he had needed, why hadn't he chosen a different kind? Something less deadly to subdue him? And if he had been trying to kill him, Jr. was sure he would have picked something painful and agonizing. Something that would make him feel instead and be aware of himself instead of make him dizzy and numb. Why? Did he...did he know...? Had he planned it?

**It seems my Rubedo does not understand reality. Perhaps I should show him.**

"What did he say?" chaos questioned, bringing the variant out of his thoughts and back into what he assumed was reality.

"What?"

"The man who attacked you. What did he say?"

Jr. paused for a moment. chaos hadn't been around Albedo enough to know his speech patterns, had he? If anyone else claimed that their assailant had said something like this Jr. would have automatically suspected the white demon that was his twin. Well, what harm could it do?

"Critos, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Pay it and do not forget."

chaos frowned as if trying to remember where he had heard the phrase before.

"Socrates' last words," Jr. said, "The guy was given a choice and he chose execution and the means was hemlock. I just assumed that was what he meant."

"You were right," chaos said, tapping Jr.'s legs. "Its a good thing that we got to you before it spread to your lungs."

"It tried," Jr. said smugly, "No offense to good old Socrates, but death by poison is pretty weak. I'm not going down that easy."

Jr. was satisfied with his half-lie, trying to find the whole in it and have a backup story. It didn't take him long to figure out what detail he had forgotten to mention. The Realian had been there when his arm was sliced open. If she told chaos that his flesh just opened up on its own there was going to be some serious questioning and urging to talk about things that Jr. would rather avoid.

"That Realian was fast. I should really thank her. Do you know where she is?"

The question earned him a confused look."Realian?"

"The one who delivered me to the doctor's office," Jr. said exasperated, "The 100-series. She found me. I just wanted to know where she was."

'So that I can get her to lie for me...'

"Jr., what are you talking about? You walked into the infirmary by yourself."

Jr. frowned at chaos, "That's not funny, chaos. I don't know where you're getting this sick sense of humor from but I think it's time to lay off."

Jr. didn't like the sudden worry that crossed his friend's face.

"Jr...You were found wandering the Durandal's halls. Some employees are washing your blood off the floor as we speak. Mary is the one who brought you here."

"No." Jr. said angrily, "No, no that's not true. She was there. She brought me food, I startled her on an accident...almost shot her and she dropped the tray. She came turned off my alarm..."

Jr. glared at chaos. He knew he hadn't imagined her. He knew he hadn't. Hell, he was tempted to get out of this damn bed and walk straight to the Bridge to prove it. Most people couldn't tell one 100-series from another but Jr. could. chaos knew that just as well as Jr. did and once Jr. voiced this he nodded.

"Ok, Jr. I want you to show me. Point her out to me after you can walk." chaos placed his gloves back over Jr.'s legs. "Can you feel that?"

Jr. nodded, disturbed still by the fact that no one else had seen the 100-series. She had been real. He knew she was. There was no way Albedo could contact him outside of nightmares. His brother was just a figment of his imagination. Albedo, along with his nightmares, were manifestations of guilt, regret, shame, sorrow, and his determination to keep it all hidden and buried inside of him. It was natural to have nightmares. They acted as a sort of outlet, didn't they? Albedo had disguised himself as a Realian nurse before, but that had been a dream. There was no possible way that he could have appeared outside of his mind and tried the same trick. The thought hit him hard. He hadn't tried the same trick. If that Realian had been Albedo then he had saved him...

Jr. wasn't sure what sort of look was plastered on his face but it must have been worrying chaos because the older boy placed the back of his hand against his forehead.

"What? Are you my nurse now?"

chaos smiled at him, "It would seem so. As long as you keep hurting yourself..."

"I didn't hurt myself!" Jr. said, jerking away from his friend's glove. "How are you even checking my temperature?" He asked, pulling at his friend's gloves.

chaos shrugged, "Maybe I'm magic."

"And maybe I'm stupid enough to believe that."

"Maybe," chaos responded, trying to coax Jr. into moving his legs.

"So what kind of medicine did they pump me with this time?" Jr. asked, happy that he was able to move.

"Antidote, of course," chaos answered, "I have another vial of it and am supposed to give it to you if the hemlock doesn't wear off in an hour, but you seem to be fighting it fast enough."

"Well of course," Jr. smirked. "I told you that it would take more than that to kill me."

Jr. sat up in his bed, glad that there were no wires in his arms this time. He pulled his legs under him, poking at the places that still had partial numbness. "So how long was I out?"

Jr. was expecting a count of hours so he was shocked to hear he had been out for three days.

"Three fucking days?!" He exclaimed.

Jr. hurriedly pushed himself off of the bed and tried to make his way to the Bridge but fell down before he could take two steps. Thankfully, chaos was quick to catch him.

"Jr., your body is still weak and--"

"I've got work to do!" Jr. hissed, squirming a bit and wincing from his shoulder. "I can't...I can't stay here. I've got to get busy!"

"Mary and Shelley are taking care of it, Jr."

"No!" Jr. yelled, furiously. "It's my job! That's what I'm supposed to do."

chaos shook his head and held on tighter to Jr.'s struggling form. "Jr...I know that you're frustrated, but it was really too early for you to be heading back to work anyway. This accident was sort of a blessing in disguise, don't you think? Now you have no choice."

Jr. growled and managed to wriggle away from chaos, glaring at him the whole time.

"I know what's best for me," He said, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm not a kid."

"Jr..."

"I'm not!"

Jr. walked awkwardly around the room until he found clothes someone had left for him. He pulled them on quickly, wanting to be away from the damn infirmary that was slowly becoming his new bedroom.

"I'm not weak..." he murmured, before storming out the door and making his way to the Bridge.

* * *

Mary and Shelley were both happy and unhappy to see their Little Master when he walked in. They were glad that he was well enough to walk, but weren't so enthused to see that he was trying to play off his injuries. He seemed nervous, gazing around at the 100-series intently, as if looking for something. When he finally stepped up to the captain's seat he managed to tear his eyes away from the Realians and focus them on Mary. She placed her hands on her hips and huffed down at him.

"Lil' Master."

"Mary," was his mocking reply. He playfully pushed past her to Shelley who hid her smile as he jumped up to sit on the console.

"How's it going, Shelley?"

"Little Master," Shelley said, continuing her work and making sure not to look over at Jr. "You should be resting. Your injury and the one following were quite serious."

"Yeah, well, what are you going to do?"

"We're gonna make you get back in your bed, Lil' Master!"

Mary started to reach for her small master and drag him back to his room but stopped when she realized that she couldn't remember which shoulder was injured. Jr. smirked when he noticed this.

"Problem, Mary?"

"You'd better be thankful I cain't tell which is hurt," Mary pouted, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"I believe it would be in the Little Master's best interest if he would allow his body the rest it requires."

Jr. shook his head, "I'll have plenty of time to rest when I'm dead. Now give me something to do.

"You might end up dead if ya don't rest!"

"Mary, Shelley, you guys worry too much. I'm fine, really. I want something to do. You can't keep doing my work until Gaignun gets back."

"Master Gaignun thinks we can!"

"Oh no, you didn't tell him did you?"

"Of course not."

Jr. gave a sigh of relief at that but it was cut short when Mary motioned over to her sister and said,  
"Shelley did."

"Shelley, why?"

"Master Gaignun was informed by the Durandal's doctor. I answered any questions he asked."

"He's not coming here, is he?"

"No. We have assured Master Gaignun that his presence was not necessary. If he were to arrive here it would surely be at his own expense, for I am certain that the Little Master would take it as a sign of weakness."

Jr. grinned, "Damn right I would."

"If Master Gaignun came down here every time you were hurt he'd never get anything done."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Jr. agreed. "That's why I don't want you telling him every time something bad happens. So from now on, no tattling on Jr. ok? That's an order."

"Yes, Little Master," Shelley said, returning to her work.

Mary wasn't subdued so easily and after a very long staring contest she finally sighed and unwrapped her arms.

"Don 'cha think that you're bein' silly, Lil' Master?"

Jr. shook his head and leaned back on his left arm. "No. I think you are."

Mary rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Alright, Lil' Master."

Jr. nodded, satisfied with himself and Gaignun's girls. He started to lean over to Shelley again, in order to coax whatever work they didn't have finished out of her when Mary grabbed his left arm and pulled him off of the console. He looked up at her in surprise as she began pulling him toward the elevator.

"Ya had a tell, Lil' Master," She said winking.

"We're not playing poker!"

"Hush," She said dismissively, finally releasing her hold on him once the elevator started to move. "I'm going to take you back to your room an' I wan 'cha to rest."

"No, Mary," he protested. Jr. pressed himself against the inside of the elevator but Mary grabbed his arm and pulled him out. "I've got work to do. I can't just pile everything on you."

"We're fine, Lil' Master. Shelley n' I can take care of it."

Jr. gave up his fight. All of his resistance was causing his arm to flare and he could feel his headache creeping up on him again. He tried to remember a time when this pain hadn't been pounding against his skull. Well that one he couldn't blame on anyone. The cause of joy riding had been worth it in his book but the pain in his shoulder...

Remembering what he had said about the 100-series to chaos earlier, he thoroughly studied every one that he passed, but couldn't find the one who had rushed him to the infirmary.

"That was awful scary Lil' Master."

"What was?"

Mary waited until they were out of the loopline and making their way back to Jr.'s room.

"Findin' ya like that."

"Oh..." It was true then.

Jr. shook his head. None of this was making any goddamn sense. Maybe the Realian had been part of his nightmare. It was probably one of those dreams where a person wakes up in a dream like some kind of torturous neverending cycle, never being able to wake up in reality. Jr. was starting to wonder if that was what his situation was going to be like. Hell, for all he knew he might be in some sort of coma after his stupid wreck. He'll wake up in the hospital in a few moments, asking everyone what the fuck happened and reliving his nightmares. Some Wizard of Oz shit complete with the whole "You were there and you an--and you!".

chaos would be the Scarecrow. No wait, he'd probably be Glinda the Good Witch. Jr. would probably fit the Tin Man's description better than Dorothy's. He was missing a heart, afterall. He could see it now, his remixed version of it: The Tin Man jerks awake and runs to Glinda, "Dude, you're never going to fucking believe the dream I just had."

Then Glinda would smile, wave her wand around and tell him that he was being ridiculous. The Wicked Witch of the West was dead. "Silly little Tin Man, go back to your forest."

Yeah, that sounded about right.

"Lil' Master," Mary said carefully once they had reached his room. "I know ya don't like it when we tell ya that you should be more cautious, but we don't do it because we don't think ya don't know what you're doin'."

"Really," Jr. replied, walking to his door. He leaned against the wall on his good shoulder.

"Yes, really," Mary continued, ignoring Jr.'s sarcastic tone. "We do it 'cus we're worried. So it'd be nice if you could do us all a favor and humor us for a while."

Jr. smiled up at her and nodded. Every now and then Mary surprised him.

"Alright, Mary. I'll do you this favor and rest, but I want to work tomorrow. No protesting, got it?"

Mary nodded enthusiastically and gave him a quick hug.

"Have a good long sleep, hear?"

"Yeah," Jr. said, waving to her retreating figure. "I'll try."

* * *

"He's hesitating," Virgil observed. He walked up to stand beside his coworker to watch his prey reluctantly crawl into Albedo's snare, mumbling denials and trying to tell himself that the comfort of his bed only had the makings of a trap. The White Testament nodded.

"Yes, I think that he is still upset about my..._disarming_ of Death."

Virgil shook his head,"The kid's right, Albedo, you're one sick fuck."

Bad choice of words. Albedo's arm was suddenly wrapped around Virgil's shoulders and the edges of his claws at the tip of his mask.

"How would you know, Addict? Have you ever tested the waters?"  
Virgil managed to turn the amusement behind his mask into frustrated exasperation by the time Albedo removed it. And as he spoke, Virgil wondered just how Albedo could make his skin crawl with only his voice. How he could feel his breath on his face and tongue against his ear even though Albedo's mask remained on.

"Want a dip?"

Virgil shook his head and delicately removed Albedo's claws away from his chin.

"I don't bend that way, if you get my meaning."

Now he could feel the grin as Albedo sighed disappointed and said, "I'll curve you yet."

White untangled itself from Blue and turned back toward the scene of his beloved Rubedo taking some sort of medicine and trying to calm himself down. They watched variant as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. His body seemed too tense though, it might take a while.

"You're pretty cruel, Albedo," Virgil said, glancing over at him. "I didn't get to see it, but waking up to find one brother ripping apart another would have freaked me out. Especially with your wonderfully bloodstained pasts."

"Rubedo saw right through me," Albedo muttered, sadness in his voice. "I must work harder."

"That the reason for your little morning visit?"

"Rubedo...belongs to me. I must do what is necessary to make him understand that."

Virgil gave him a curt little laugh. "Albedo, you don't make a damn bit of sense."

Albedo shrugged. It wasn't important that Virgil understand. Virgil got the message and decided it was true. If it worked, it worked. If it didn't, well then it just didn't. Either way it would be fun to watch.

"Well this next act - if that's what you and Wilhelm are calling these things - sounds really messed up. Even for you."

They watched Jr. finally relax enough to fall asleep.

"I almost feel sorry for the kid."

Albedo watched Jr. curiously, "It is good for him to gain sympathy that I can not show."

The White Testament handed Virgil his mask. "I think this will be my favorite act."

* * *

A memory! Thank God! Thank God for the simplicity of memories and for their predictability. Jr. never thought he would be happy in the dark, mirrored hallways of Abel's Ark but he felt strangely safe there compared to the last place he had found himself. He knew how this was supposed to play out and at least Albedo couldn't surprise him. Actually, he felt so aware and in control that he might just change things. The thought gave him a strange sense of empowerment and he pulled out his guns to destroyed every mirror he walked by. No disturbing images. He'd had enough of that for one day. He walked down the mirror-lined hallway, destroying every one without much thought. The only sound in the empty corridor was that of shattering glass and his footsteps crunching over them. He liked this control he suddenly had. At least he would get the satisfaction of spoiling Albedo's carefully constructed madness. And he damn sure wasn't going to fall into his trap this time. Both brothers were coming out alive. Jr. wasn't sure how he was going to do it or how Albedo would react but he wasn't going to kill him.

He was coming closer to the corridor's end but he didn't rush towards it. He really should think of a plan. What would he have done if Albedo had lived? His demented brother surely would have found a new outlet for his twisted lunacy. Jr. shrugged at the thought. He could catch him, bring him home. He'd have to keep a close eye on him, but it might work...maybe...probably not. Either way, Albedo wasn't going to die. That was just all there was to it.

Maybe this was the end of his nightmares. Perhaps now he could get past all of the crazy stuff he had been dealing with the last few days. No more imaginary wounds or poisons. No more illusions. Whatever had been knocked loose found its place again and boy was he glad. He finally made his way out of the corridor and began walking to where he knew his twin to be. He ignored the darkness of the room and the frozen prisoners in the pillars. His only thoughts were on how he was going to pull Albedo out of that mass. He wasn't sure why he still he wanted Albedo alive but instantly scolded himself for thinking something like that. Nightmares were nightmares and if he could redo it, he knew he would find a way to bring his brohter home.

His brother was within eyesight when he heard the murmur of his voice. Albedo was bent over something in his lap, whispering and laughing. That was new. Jr. squinted into the dim lighting but couldn't make out what it was yet. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Jr. reminded himself not to lose control again as his grip tightened on his weapons. He had said he wasn't going to kill him, not that he wasn't going to subdue him. He'd beat the insanity out of him if it meant he could drag him out of this ark alive.

Finally he reached the throne and instantly Albedo's face lit up.

"Welcome, Rubedo." Albedo said, his voice bleeding mockery. "How very rude of you to keep us waiting."

Jr.'s eyes fell onto the shape in Albedo's lap at the word 'us' and discovered that it was a small girl. For a moment he wondered if his memories of the Song of Nephilim and Abel's Ark had merged together for his dream and the girl he was holding was MOMO. He pulled out his guns and pointed them at Albedo, ready to unleash a string of insults and threats when his twin moved the limp body in his lap a little, coaxing her to face Jr.

And whatever power or optimism Jr. held suddenly shattered like all of the mirrors he had destroyed on his way here. His heart dropped as Albedo's smile grew into something dark and twisted.

"Sakura."

* * *

A/N: And I am finished. C: I'm going to go make faces at my niece through her hospital window now. I'll try to update soon and as always, if you have a problem with this chapter you know who to complain to.


	7. Dear Agony

A/N: Contrary to popular belief, I am alive! Wow! It's a miracle. Really, put down the phones. No one needs to send a search party. It's ok. C:

Now I know what you're thinkin': Holy freakin' crap! Where the hell have you been?!

Don't lie. I KNOW you're not happy. XD I would like to take this opportunity to apologize like I've never apologized in my entire 18 years of life. Seriously, I am so so sorry. I'm dealing with some pretty heavy stuff and none of you would believe all the ridiculous things happening over here. I'm not gonna waste everyone's time with it though. If you're really that mad and absolutely NEED an explanation then PM me and I'll let you have time to vent b/c I totally understand how frustrating it is to wait for another chapter and hope that the author hasn't given up on a story. --;

I would like to go ahead and sincerely thank and apologize to:

**Albedo's Jerusalem **for not killing me like he threatened he would. XD I'm updating see? Truce! Truce!

And **CE412 **b/c I know she's just about to go insane. ^^; I'm so very sorry. I'll try so hard not to let this happen again.

And also to everyone who has reviewed so far and also to all those who favorited and/or alerted this story while I was off being a douchebag. Seriously. XD I hope this doesn't disappoint any of you.

**Warning:**The style of this chapter came out a little strange b/c of the changing points of views between Jr. and Albedo. :/ Also, the intro to this chapter is a flashback. I have a tendency to things like that. XD Also there is a little bit of gore in here. I have to warn of that b/c I'm not the best writer when it comes to gore. Eh. This story's a lot of firsts for me. Lemme know how it goes.

**French:**You know what I've decided would make a looot more sense? If I put the translations here ahead of time so that readers would know what words meant when they got to them. Yeah. Way to go Tylida. XD An entire story and a few chapters too late.  
(As usual my French is nowhere near perfect. Don't be afraid to correct me if you find any mistakes. But hey at least you'll know what it's _supposed _to mean. XD)  
Lutter-Struggle  
Mon Coer-My heart  
Ne me laisse pas partir- Don't let go  
Au Contraire: On the contrary

**Disclaimer:**Tylida doesn't own any of this stuff (characters, game, etc.)

* * *

_Love sees sharply, Hatred sees even more sharp, but Jealousy sees the sharpest for it is Love and Hatred at the same time._

- Arab Proverb

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 7  
Dear Agony

Albedo remembered the first time he had seen the girl. It was a little strange, honestly, to see a little girl. He had seen women before but they were just that women, not this small giggly creature who's eyes lit up at the sight of them. There were rumors; about a girl's ward somewhere in the Yuriev Institute, but that was something whispered by the standards and Albedo wasn't sure what to make of that. Nigredo had told him that it was possible. The Standard Units probably weren't creative enough to think up something like that and there was no real reason to assume they were lying besides disbelieving for the sake of disbelieving. Albedo never could remember the last part of that sentence though.

He remembered being curious and a little surprised that there wasn't much difference between them. No in fact, he really couldn't see any besides the fact that he and his brothers were bioweapons. Sakura didn't mind. She was sweet and fun and...and...

Wait...something wasn't right.

Albedo frowned and shot Nigredo a questioning look. Did that girl...did that girl just touch Rubedo? But the only thing that seemed to be disturbing Nigredo was the look on the younger twin's face as if he couldn't understand the reason behind it. How could he not understand?! Could he not see it? The way she would find any excuse to lightly touch his arm or hand? The obscene way she would giggle at anything Rubedo would say as if it were the wittiest thing she had ever heard? It wasn't long before she was holding his hand and wrapping her arms around his, hanging all over him like some sort of parasite. How bold this girl was! Did she not know how easily Albedo could kill her? Did the thought never cross her mind?! And Rubedo! How could he just let her touch him? How could he stand the way she looked at him? The nauseating sound of her voice? It was when he realized that his older half actually liked the attention from Sakura did he loose it.

The more they were around her the worse it got and even Nigredo found the sight of the two together tiresome, but never was he the furious mess his older brother turned into. The youngest tried his best to keep the two from fighting but it was hard when Albedo felt like his world was being taken away and Rubedo absolutely refused to do anything other than label Albedo's emotions as completely and utterly stupid. In truth, Rubedo was just frustrated with his brother. It wasn't fair for him to treat him like a possession but Albedo couldn't see that.

Albedo remembered how he'd never felt hatred like that before and hadn't since. Her presence...it was infuriating. Rubedo was his! His! The only other person who could even come near him was Nigredo and that was only because he knew his place. How dare this girl...this _whore _try to take his Rubedo away from him?!

He remembered how hard it was to hold himself back and was thankful for his youngest brother in those moments because sometimes his hand on Albedo's shoulder was the only thing keeping him from lunging at the girl and ripping her apart. Rubedo would hate him if that happened...

It was just another day in the simulator. They were supposed to be working but work had turned into play like it always did in Sakura's Domain. Somehow that filthy girl had tempted Rubedo to run away with her into the sunflower field without Albedo's noticing. This lead him to the conclusion that she had to be a witch because Albedo never took his eyes off Rubedo for more than a second. Nigredo let out a long, irritated sigh once he realized that they weren't with them anymore. He muttered something about this being ridiculous and this wasn't the time to be playing Romeo and Juliet somewhere while Albedo seethed in his anger. Nigredo suggested splitting up to look for them since their oldest brother had closed off his mind but the thought of being alone didn't appeal to Albedo in the least. Nigredo got the message and nodded. It'd just be better if they were to stick together. After an infinite time of searching for him, the two decided to just go back to the house and wait for them. It beat getting lost. Albedo angrily pushed sunflowers out of his way, tearing them apart as if they were the limbs of that disgusting girl. She wouldn't be able to hug Rubedo anymore...

Albedo reached the ending of the field before his younger brother and as he pulled up the last sunflower he noticed Rubedo and that girl sitting on the porch swing together.

"Finally," Nigredo muttered, catching up to Albedo.

He started to walk towards the pair but Albedo outstretched an arm in front of him, placing his palm backwards to grasp his shoulder.

"No," he whispered to Nigredo's questioning mind. "Wait."

Nigredo did as he was told, worry fringing the link he held with Albedo, asking him what he was doing without words. Albedo ignored him and squinted, trying to get a picture of what was happening.

There was a reason behind this. A reason that the wench had pulled away his beloved Rubedo and Albedo was going to find out what that reason was.

He waited as the two talked. About what Albedo wasn't sure, but it gave off an air of secrecy that he didn't like. His stomach churned as he watched the two of them. He damned the perfect sunset and damned the porch swing, damned everything about this damned domain and the way that damned Sakura was manipulating his Rubedo.

She talked to him in that nauseating voice and Rubedo responded, a dreamy look on his face. He said something that made her smile but whatever she said after must have upset him because he leaned back against the wood of the swing. He pulled up his left knee to rest his arm on as he moved his eyes toward the horizon. She inclined her head softly, her lips moving before he sighed and said something gently sarcastic - Albedo could always tell. It was the way his shoulders moved, the motion of his head, set of his neck - before leaning his head forward to rest on his arm. A small bit of hope wormed its way into Albedo's chest at the sight. She said something wrong in Rubedo's eyes. Well that was tantamount to a sin against God! Surely Rubedo would get up and leave now. Yes, leave her all alone on her stupid sw--

Albedo's eyes widened and his grip on Nigredo's shoulder tightened. That girl was touching him again. The motion was supposed to be soothing and it seemed to be working. Rubedo lifted his head and turned his beautiful blue eyes back to that undeserving whore. She gave him a sympathetic look and started to talk again, removing her hand and allowing Albedo the room to exhale. She talked happily about something that must have gotten Rubedo excited because he sat up straighter and leaned closer to her, a determination on his face and in his posture. Albedo loved the way his brother's face lit up in moments like these and apparently so did the little temptress because she closed the distance between the two of them and placed her lips against his cheek, stopping Rubedo mid-sentence.

Albedo's mind slid to a complete halt. Nigredo noticed his brother's sudden silence and quickly moved to hold him back before he could spring out of the field and destroy the girl who was threatening his universe.

That was it. That's what the girl had wanted, the reason she'd separated them. That succubus, playing on Rubedo's weakness, stabbing her claws into him. Oh how easily she had deceived them, all of them. A whore in sheep's clothing just waiting for their leader to fall. Just waiting. And as Albedo watched that little slut run into her house while waving her goodbye to Rubedo he swore that no matter what it took he would destroy her. Rubedo belonged to him and no one, NO ONE, would take him away.

* * *

"Sakura," Jr. whispered and Albedo watched the beautiful fire smolder into something different. He seemed paralyzed by the sight of her. How strange it was that fury had taken a backseat to such shock, such despair. Strange, yet wonderful. Yes, wonderful. Brilliant! Albedo smiled with a delicate wickedness that sent shivers down the boy's spine as he bent low over the girl in his arms.

"Ah, yes. The seductress." Albedo said off-handedly, turning his eyes on her form as if he had forgotten her presence. "The beautiful Temptress, skin woolen white. Fangs hide behind those pretty lips; fashioned to rend the scales of a dragon." Albedo smiled, "In memory this disease resides. What would you have me do with this harlot who haunts that wonderful heart of your's, Rubedo?"

A growl. That deep beautiful guttaral noise that always had the madman's mind spinning.

"Albedo..."

And then the click. Oh, that beautiful click of guns, of rage. Silent rage, shocked anger. Devastation upon devastation! The cogs were turning. Albedo could almost see them. Rubedo was thinking, trying to make sense out of this senseless situation. And oh how determined he seemed to be with his tense posture and his carefully kept fire. Holding back? Now that was not allowed.

"Let her go."

His voice was so hoarse, but so powerful. Not a quake in that young timbre of his. How terribly wonderful that such an image could completely knock his poor Rubedo off balance. Albedo ignored his demand, deciding instead to turn his attention on the lifeless replica in his lap.

"So sweet was never so fatal. Deception itself never so well deceived. How does this woman manage to do it? Tell me," Albedo whispered, placing a hand under her neck and raising her up closer to his face. Sakura shuttered with the movement. Empty eyes pierced Rubedo with the hallow power of its gaze, causing him to jerk his eyes instantly from her. Albedo smiled. What do you see in those eyes, Rubedo?

"Is it so that all the good little girls go to Heaven, Rubedo?"

And he watched joyfully at the way his Rubedo's breath hitched in his chest in a motion that must have been painful; in a way that called out to his darker half pleadingly. Too bad Albedo had left his sympathy behind for madness.

"Albedo," Oh how stern his Rubedo sounded. A little late to act like the older brother. "I..."

Hard to say? Possibly, by the way he seemed to be choking on the very oxygen that was giving him life. Those blue eyes vanished from his vision for a split second. An attempt to gain his composure? Albedo couldn't help but wonder...why was he holding back?

Albedo smiled seductively down at the girl in his arms.

"And what of the whores, the harlots, this seductress?" His other arm crawled up the front of the girl's dress, ascending to her chin and forcing her face to his. Seduction turned to disdain at the sight of her, but she was serving her purpose. Rubedo's attempt at regained composure was slipping with each little whimper his perfect little temptress made.

"Well?" Finally, tossing away the fold of a testament in exchange for his madness he snapped Jr.'s foundation.

"Rubedo?"

* * *

'Wake up, Jr.' He commanded himself. 'Wake up before you do something stupid. Wake up, damn it!'

This was just another dream. Just another fucked up nightmare he'd fallen into. He closed his eyes and tried to contain himself but no matter how long he kept them closed he knew it wouldn't work. His problems with Albedo had never been so easily solved and sure enough when he opened his eyes, there he was. The white demon smiled down at the girl in his arms.

"What of them," he questioned, truly curious. "Hath heaven a haven for such a wench? Such a wretch?"

His laughter was evil as he shook his head. "Heaven! Let us name Paradise the new brothel and brewery. Let us drink from her sins! Sweet poison disguised in wine!"

"Shut up!" Jr. shouted. "Just shut the hell up and let go of Sakura!"

His hold on his weapons tightened, threatening to shoot his white shadow. The motion only seemed to excite Albedo, sending another bought of madness throughout the space of Abel's Ark and shaking the little girl in his lap. Jr. took a deep breath and tried not to look at her, instead focusing on his brother's cruel smile.

"I don't want to hurt you, Albedo," he started, cautiously. "I just want you to let her go."

But Sakura's frightened whimpers were getting to him, chipping away a little more of his resolve with each little sound and it took everything he had not to look at her.

'Wake up,' he begged himself again. 'Wake up,'

Albedo tilted his head to the side, feigning confusion.

"Upset, dear brother? Why I thought you would rejoice, celebrate."

The hand beneath Sakura's neck fisted itself into her hair, jerking her upwards and causing the wheezing clone to gasp sharply. "I have delivered your weakness, your disease. This girl that ails you."

Albedo was absolutely right, the sight of her made him weak. All of the energy he had suddenly vanished in one big swoop and Jr. didn't know what to do. Her skin was so pale, her green eyes empty and glass-like. The last time she had been lifeless, she hadn't even made a sound, couldn't stand up by herself. She had been a corpse, a mannequin, a prop but not this time. Not when she was breathing, blinking, wheezing. Not when her eyes met his and not when she was shaking, whimpering, mouthing his name:

"_Rubedo..._"

His heart sank at the pathetic sound of her voice.

Albedo was delighted to hear her voice and jerked his wrist sharply, causing Sakura's head to follow. She cried out and the sound crashed into Jr. like a tidal wave.

"I said let her go!!"

"And let her consume you," Albedo asked, concern on his features and laughter in his eyes. He forced her chin up to him, studying her again. "Her voice, the murmur in you heart? Set to destroy my companion in memory, in mind, in body and soul!"

"Don't touch her!"Jr. screamed, pulling the trigger and sending a bullets into his brother's arm. Albedo's wicked laughter echoed off the walls as he rocked back and forth, the arm reforming itself almost as soon as it had disappeared. But Albedo's hysterics didn't end. He placed his new hand over his face and bent low over the girl, gripping her closer to his chest in an effort to stop his crazed laughter.

"A whore, a whore, my kingdom for a whore!" Albedo screamed, grinning and crushing Sakura against his form. "No, No! Not my kingdom at all, but yours! Yours! Indeed the fall of yours! Of Babylon! The Kingdom's whore atop her dragon! Revelation I say! Revelation!"

"I said let her go!" Jr. shouted, ignoring him. "Let her go, now!"

He fired again, earning himself more maddening laughter.

"Yes Rubedo, show me that fire, that wrath! Emblazon it into memory! Make me repent! Tutor me in morality! Verse me in virtue! Educate me in ethics for the principles of probity vanished with piety," He snickered at his last little jab and gave a little bow of his head, "My Red Prince."

"Don't tempt me you sick..."

"Tempt? Nay, beckon, beg, plead dear Rubedo!"

Jr.'s weapons shook in his grip. His guns weren't enough, never were against his twin. Warning shots actually hit and evoked pleasure instead of compliance. He knew what Albedo wanted from him, but it wasn't going to happen. Sakura took a strange sort of trembling breath, turning her eyes to meet his again, shaking his resolve and causing him to let loose another bullet. Hadn't he promised himself? Jr. tried to calm down, tried to remind himself that Albedo was just baiting him but it was so hard to forget. And as Jr. stared at the image again he could feel himself loosing it. He was taking the bait hook, line, and sinker. Albedo would have him yet.

"Then tell me," Albedo laughed, the cruel sound sparking Jr.'s anger. "Do you not miss her?"

The madman raised her up again, cradling her head as if she were an infant. "Do you still ache for her? Want of her, Rubedo?"

"Let. Her. Go." Jr. hissed. "Let her go or else--"

"Threats, mon Rubedo," Albedo interrupted, shaking his head. Albedo's left hand crawled back down the length of her white dress as the younger twin spoke.

"Now I ask you," he said, directing his words to the girl. "What is a Dragon without his fire? All bark and no bite and although his fangs are rather sharp," Jr.'s eyes were so busy focusing on the proximity of Albedo's lips to Sakura's neck that he didn't realize where his other hand was going. "Rather...dangerous..."

Jr. finally caught the motion just as Albedo's claws slid under her dress. Fury burst through him so fast he hadn't realized that he had fired until Albedo's laughter rang out once again. He was crazy with anger, so much so that he was ready to drop his guns and take care of his brother the way he had sworn he would not. He was loosing it and he didn't care about holding back anymore. He'd sworn he wouldn't hurt Albedo again but he couldn't take it. Albedo was begging for it. He gritted his teeth against mounting anger.

'Wake up, Jr. Please God, wake up.'

What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he torturing himself? Was there really any point?!

"Goddamn it, Albedo!"

Sakura cried out again and Jr. again unthinkingly reacted, firing as many rounds as he could. He was expecting madness, expecting that crazed sound to assault his ears in the way only it could and he was expecting himself to finally loose it and destroy his demonic half in a blazing fury.

But that didn't happen and instead of that maddening sound, Jr.'s gunshots were rewarded with an ear piercing scream. He winced at the unexpected sound, closing his eyes against it as if doing so would make it stop.

"Why Rubedo,"

That rich, malice-laced rancor caused Jr.'s eyes to open. Derisive surprise graced his brother's features and it took Jr. a few seconds to come down from the red haze his anger had created around his mind to realize the sound hadn't come from him. It took him a second longer to realize that his bullets hadn't hit Albedo. The air stuck painfully in his chest as if Albedo had sliced it open through skin and bone.

"You missed."

Blood poured over the white of Sakura's dress in slender lines, making its way down the length of her arm to drip off of her fingertips.

Oh God...

* * *

What was wrong, Rubedo? Was it cruel of him? Albedo's grin widened. Now who's fault was it really? Who's bullets lie buried in this replica? Who should have been more careful? See, dear Rubedo? Now those were the consequences of wrath. Pay close attention next time. After all, was it really his fault that her body just happened to shift at the perfect time to catch fury?

Rubedo seemed as if he were going to be sick. How pale his skin had turned. Red was becoming white!

"Sakura!!!"

And here he comes, running with speed given him by anger. Ah, how wonderful it would be to let his Rubedo unleash his wrath. Hell hath no flame, no fire, no fury like that of his Dragon! But that just wouldn't be very fun now would it?

It was easier than Albedo thought, bending Jr.'s mind against him. How strong was this boy's guilt that it readily welcomed Albedo's every movement! A simple motion of his hand and an increase gravity hit Jr. so hard it knocked him to his knees. The boy stumbled against the sudden pressure, knowing full well the cause of it and too far gone in his returning haze to care.

"Now, now, Rubedo," Albedo tsked, shaking his head in a scolding motion. "The distressed damsel belongs to the white knight."

Albedo's fingers ran along a leaking wound, turning violet eyes to flashing ones. Are you watching, Rubedo?

"Immune am I to this poison," Albedo said, licking his fingers, "The elixir in this rotten fruit made to corrode your world in its sinful toxin. Better you destroy than devour this fruit. Albedo scowled at his now clean glove. "This cherry's pit is missing her core."

"LET HER GO!"

Furious blue eyes flashed even as Jr. pushed up against gravity. Oh, and how the domain trembled with his mighty dragon's roar. A deep shudder ran through the madman at the ferocity in his features. One slip and Rubedo would blow him away. His grin grew dark at the thought. Perfect.

"Beloved Wrath," Albedo smirked, leaning back against his throne. Completely relaxed, he tossed the bleeding girl into a more comfortable position and sighed fondly down at the sight of blood on her dress. His doll shook with the pain of her bullet wounds. Blood poured from her shoulder and hip, running down her white dress in perfect little rivers. She made a strange little choking sound and turned her eyes to Jr., pleading.

"What devastation it creates. Destruction unrestrained and do you see now," Albedo wondered, forcing his eyes away from Jr.'s and onto the small illusion in his lap. "Do you?"

Her sobbing was beautiful, fueling the struggling dragon at his feet. "Do you see the beast the resides in that body? Urging, fighting for a way out?"

Albedo lifted her up to him again, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "How do you restrain such a awe-inspiring creature? Tame such magnificence, crush fury itself?! Surely we stand no chance! Tell me, my harlot, my wench! Reveal to me your secrets or I might,"

Albedo's voice took on a deadly tone, the sweet smile on his face alerting the boy. Lutter, Rubedo, lutter. Now wouldn't it be lovely if...

"I just might..."

Wouldn't it just be unbearably splendid if...

"Albedo!"

How rage fuels this dragon, this gravity-defying dragon. Albedo smiled at him. Good, just a little more. With one swift motion Albedo sunk his claws into her chest, pressing them in to the knuckle. A series of agonizing screams careened throughout the Ark.

"This pain! So sweet, how I've longed for that cry, that sirens call! Come my dragon, my prince and bare witness this, the fall of Tempation herself!"

Albedo grinned, embodying evil itself in the curl of his lips and the glint in his eyes.

Don't worry, Rubedo. We're Almost Done.

He curled his fingers to match his smile and with one smooth jerk he relieved Sakura of skin, muscle, and Jr. of his restraint.

* * *

Explosive anger burst through Jr. so fast it was maddening. It obliterated his surroundings, demolishing every structure fabricated or realistic but he didn't care, didn't care much about anything other than breaking free and ripping his brother apart. The raw power of his attack should have scared him, made him stop or fight against it but for some reason it didn't matter and once the flames of his anger died down he wasn't upset that Albedo and his manic laughter had disappeared with them.

He collapsed onto the floor, completely exhausted and breathless. He felt as if someone had reached inside him and pulled out every bit of his energy right down to the marrow in his bones but he couldn't stay down. He was up again before his eyes could focus.

"Sakura..." he gasped.

His body threatened to fall apart on him and screamed at him for pushing it into a standing position. He ignored it. He could be weak later. Now he needed to get to the throne, to where he could still see Sakura moving. He was thankful that his rage hadn't touched her but as he forced his way closer he found himself panicking. He didn't want to see what Albedo had done to her. The sound of her tortured cries filled his mind accompanied by the sickening sound of tearing skin, the smell of blood...

Jr. shook his head. He couldn't think about that now! Sakura was still alive. He had to do something! Trauma could wait. Just a little longer.

Broken glass crunched under his boots as he forced his body towards the throne. He took a deep breath and steeled himself against whatever was about to come into his line of vision before charging as fast as he could to her. She wasn't crying anymore, or at least not that Jr. could hear and that scared him. It meant something was really wrong. He prayed she was just unconscious and the damage wasn't so bad that he couldn't find a way to save her. Something told him not to get his hopes up and even though he had watched Albedo's every movement, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

A gaping hole had been ripped out of her body. It started at the middle of her small chest and ended in a curved motion at her left hip. All of her skin and layers of her abdominal muscle had been completely torn from her revealing the inner working of her body; the way her heart pumped blood beneath its bone cage, the deep scratches in her bones where Albedo's claws had scraped during the removal. Lacerated arteries pumped lifeblood in spurts, staining the now-crimson marble of her dress. She lie awkwardly in the throne, the structure around her burned and charred. She seemed blind, her eyes looking back to the place he had been earlier. She quivered and shook as a strange breathy noise escaped her throat.

Horrified, the last of his strength left him and he fell to his knees. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths and trying his best to keep from collapsing or vomiting or going insane or...or...

Goddamn it! This was his fault! He pounded his fists against the stone underneath him. He should've killed Albedo earlier! He could have saved her! His pounding didn't stop. His hands began to hurt from the force but he didn't care. He gave an angry, helpless scream and finally fell into a heap. Silent sobs shook his shoulders. This was so stupid. So insanely, so absolutely, so indescribably stupid! But he couldn't stop himself from it. He couldn't even save Albedo in his dreams! What choice had he had? Albedo was always hurting someone, always trying to cause someone pain. Jr. couldn't just let that happen. He was at a complete loss this time however, because even though he'd had to obliterate his brother he still hadn't been able to save Sakura. What kind of fucked up...what kind of...what was...what was he supposed to have done? What was he supposed to do now?

_"Ru-"_

Jr.'s head shot up at the sound. "Sa-Sakura?"

She was alive?! He pushed himself up, trying to stop his racing heart and ignoring the aching of his weak body. He almost fell again at the sight of her but Jr. quickly dragged his eyes to her face, desperately drinking in the sight of bloodless skin and any sign of normalcy that would exist in the welcome memory of her healthy and happy.

_"Ru-"_She tried again but her body shook and shuddered. Jr. instantly dropped down again onto his knees. He looked over her nervously. Sakura's green eyes focused onto him and he almost lost it.

"Don't worry," he whispered, frantically trying to keep his voice level. He even managed a shakey smile, though he was sure it showed more of the very fear he was trying to mask. "I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She wasn't going to last much longer. The blood had already begun to stain the stone beneath him. There was barely any in her exposed body and what was left was moving down the small path earlier red streams had created. He bit his lip and forced his eyes to stay on her. If only he had medkit with him. It would have at least closed her up until he could get somewhere. He checked his pockets but already knew they were empty of anything that could offer him any help. He hadn't needed any medkits since...

Sakura snapped him out of his thoughts with a disturbing gurgling in her throat. Her eyes glazed over and she went limp. No. Jr. leaned over her, sliding an arm under her shoulders and gently pulling her head against his chest. She was still there but barely. He had to do something. He searched his mind for anything. When he hadn't had medkits Shion or MOMO had been there with their ether circuits to pump nanomachines into him when he needed it but he didn't have anything like that on him. Damn, think. After a few seconds of panicking something came to him. chaos didn't use anything like that. Jr. frowned. How did chaos heal? He'd tried to teach him before. Ugh! Why hadn't he listened to him? He looked down at Sakura and gritted his teeth. He was just going to have to wing it.

"I-it's ok, Sakura, it's ok," he whispered to her dying form. "Thi-this is a dream, just a dream and I can fix this," he reassured her. A wavering sigh made its way from his lips as he moved his right arm over what remained of her chest. He winced at the feel of blood that poured over him instantly. "I can fix this."

But he knew that he couldn't and the thought was stupid. This wasn't a dream it was a nightmare and who in the hell had control of their nightmares? He wouldn't give up though. Jr. winced at the feeling of the liquid coating his fingers.

'Breathe, Jr. Concentrate. How does chaos do this?'

"Close your eyes," he whispered shakily. "You'll be as good as new, promise. I'll take care of it."

But he was the one who ended up closing his eyes, as if there was safety in the darkness his lids offered. It wasn't real if he didn't see it. He couldn't fail if he didn't witness the failure.

'Wake up.'

He tried to make himself calm, erasing all thought and focusing only on this. The last thought he wiped away was one questioning if a weapon could heal and if his helping would only make things worse. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing but he remembered chaos telling him to stay calm and be still. He hadn't even began to struggle with what to do next before the blood beneath his fingers was covered again with muscle and skin. He snapped his eyes open in disbelief. The gaping hole in her body was reforming itself; weaving new tissue and magically refitting new skin. Wait, he hadn't done anything yet. How had this happened?The thought quickly left him. Did it really matter? He smiled down at her. She was going to be ok. God, he could cry and when her breathing returned to normal and her eyes met his again he smiled the most relieved smile of his entire life.

"Told you," he said, more for his benefit than hers. Quickly but carefully Jr. slid his other arm beneath her legs to raise her up. Sakura must have been startled by the action because she flung both arms around his neck as if afraid that he would drop her. He wasn't about to though, no matter how exhausted he was. He could make it. He'd done this before.

"Don't worry," he said, comfortingly. He pushed forward on weak legs down the shallow steps and away from the throne. "We're getting out of here. Everything's going to be fine."

It took the remainder of his strength but the moment he made it to the last step he started running. It wasn't a very fast run but it was faster than walking. He wanted out and as far away from this place as he could get. Glass and liquid that had contained Albedo's Kirschwassers littered the floor, trying to knock him off balance. He grimaced as a particular puddle succeeded and caused him to slip and land hard on his right knee. Sakura's arms tightened around his neck and as he struggled to pull them both up .

"Sakura?" Jr. asked tentatively. "Are you ok?"

She nodded her head and hid her face in his chest. "Are you sure," he asked, trying to keep the tiredness from his voice. "I can-"

"-Rubedo?"

"Yeah?"

Her arms tightened and her body became tense. Worry spiked through him, all kinds of things that could be wrong flooding his mind. He was about to take off into his half-run again when she said:

"Don't let go."

A sigh escaped him and he shook his head. He took a few steps forward.

"I won't. There's no way."

"Don't let go," she repeated. Her voice was harsher this time and the tightness of her arms was beginning to become uncomfortable. Jr. didn't blame her for being afraid though and reassured her once again that he wouldn't let her go but after a few steps her hold became almost suffocating.

"Sakura..." he started, thinking to ask her to loosen up a little bit. He was cut short when she interrupted him.

"Don't let go," She said and the sound of her voice startled him. With wide eyes he looked at the girl in his arms. Purple eyes stared back at him, a sickening smile stretching its way onto Sakura's face. The arms around his neck constricted him, trying to choke him. Reflex kicked in through his shock and he slung the whitening girl from him and onto the floor hard. Madness erupted, regaining the domain as its king returned. Sakura's body pushed itself from the floor; bloodied dress dissolving away into the Yuriev Institute's uniform. Skin paled, hair shortened and whitened until finally Albedo stood, a younger version of himself. U-DO burned irises flashed with pure joy as evil dripped venomously from its host.  
"Ne me laisse pas partir," Albedo screamed through his laughter. His body shook violently with his voice, causing him to double over and clutch his sides. "Ne me laisse pas partir, Rubedo!"

"You..." Jr. gasped, backing away from his demonic half. "You fucking monster."

Albedo smiled, his laughter turning into a violent chuckle that shook his shoulders as he tilted his head to one side.

"Memory stings, does it not Mon Coer?"

Jr. wasn't sure where his sudden burst of energy came from but before he knew it it was shaking through him and he was running at his brother. Albedo didn't try to avoid the attack and welcomed it as his fist collided with his jaw. Albedo hit the floor and didn't even have time to blink before Jr. was on him again, pounding him into the floor.

"You motherfucking bastard!" Jr. screamed, slamming his fist into him again. He hit him four more times before fisting both hands into the collar of his uniform and pullling him up.

"Why?" Jr. shouted, shaking him. "Why the hell would you do that to me?!"

Albedo only laughed, spiking his anger again. "Why?!"

He pulled his arm back again but a hand grabbed his elbow, stopping him from collision with his darker half.

"Sakura?" Jr. gasped, disbelievingly. Confusion splayed across his face as he stared at her. What the hell was happening? A weight on his ankle called his attention and he turned his head to catch a glimpse of what was on him.

"Kirschwasser?" he murmured. The broken Realian slithered like a snake, one arm missing and one side of her face blackened. He shot his head upwards. He'd obliterated the pillar-esque prisons and the broken Realians were making their way towards him. Oh no, he'd completely forgotten about them. He kicked her off of his leg. Why hadn't he noticed their bodies before? Where were they coming from?

"Damnit," he hissed angrily as one grabbed his neck from behind. Another latched onto his other leg. He struggled against their grips but there were too many converging on him at once. Many of them were trying to transform and take Sakura's shape. Those who's mimicking mechanisms were broken sparked and shivered, only parts of them resembling their original. This one had her eyes, that one her hair another her skin, trying to kill his will to fight back but that didn't stop him. He thrashed and threw the impostors left and right, slamming some into the floor and others back into oncoming ones. His thrashing made him difficult to hold so others came, grabbing him any place they could to hold him still. A Kirschwasser grabbed his hips and pulled him off of Albedo but she lost her grip and stumbled backwards. One resembling Sakura perfectly took her place, locking her arms under his and over his shoulders in a full nelson and pulled backwards a little, lifting him off the ground. Even from his new, limited position he managed to throw his captors down and almost escape his hold. Finally, with three Kirschwassers on each leg and two holding back his biceps he was trapped. Drained and helpless he tried one more time against the arms locking him in place but got nowhere.

"Vindictive," Albedo spoke. His words sent shudders of anger through him.

The fingers interlaced behind his head slowly lowered themselves to the base of his neck, allowing him some motion of it but he wasn't sure exactly for whom the motion was intended because Albedo grabbed his chin and forced it up to him. "Is it my form or my soul that drives the ringing hammer of hatred through those delicious veins?"

Jr. snarled at him, twisting in his Realian shackles.

"I swear to God, Albedo, the moment I get free..."

"Oooh," Albedo said with a smile the sound of his young voice disturbing Jr. more than usual. "Tear me apart with filed teeth, talons and smoke. Boast, brag, roar for that is what I want but tell me, my little bonfire." He smirked, leaning closer to his older brother. "Where has that magnificent blaze gone?"

Jr. made an angry sound and made as if to twist more but couldn't find the strength.

"Was it wrong of me, Rubedo?" Albedo grinned, greedily drinking in the embers forcing themselves to flame in his brother's image.

"How could you do that to me?! You knew!" Jr. screamed, trembling, "You fucking knew what something like that would do to me!"

"I," Albedo asked, as if surprised. He let out a sadistic chuckle. "Yes, blame the monster for the workings of the scarred mind and wounded heart."

Jr.'s growl made him shiver. "There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Au contraire," Albedo breathed, watching the movement of his fingers across Jr.'s skin. "Abnormality reigns in this domain. What workings disturb such thought into madness overwhelming, overtaking? Where lies thy mind? Thy heart?!"

Albedo's hand slid its way down his neck, infected eyes following every movement while Jr. willed his hatred to burn him where he stood.

"Thrilling is it not?" Albedo wondered aloud, "All assuming thoughts were that you would understand, Mon Coer. Release me not indeed."

"In it for the kill then," Jr. asked and Albedo could almost feel the bite in his words. How easily his brother had lost his bearings. "Too fucking bad," Jr. gave him a vicious smile and tried to shake his shoulders out of the Realian's grasp. "She beat you to the punch."

Albedo snickered at the memory, madness and a strange mixture of joy and anger found its way into his smile.

"Ah! Yes of course! Perhaps vindication is then mine? If not for the folly of that whore this villain would have long since died. Absolute vengence is what I wish. How I would destroy the very atoms of her soul given the chance. Demolish the fabric of her existence, curse the God who created her! What I wouldn't give."

Something flashed behind dark purple eyes and Jr. was thankful that at least in this form, Albedo didn't have claws. "You are mine."

"I don't belong to anyone!" Jr. shouted angrily. He tried to twist his neck away from Albedo's touch but the hands on him forbade it.

"Oh most certainly not," Albedo laughed, the sarcasm oozing from his voice, "For the snares of my trap do not grip you with so vicious a force as to contain even the mightiest. How wrath drives your very core and how I wish to own it."

"You'll never own me, Albedo."

"Mmm, but I already do."

Jr.'s eyes narrowed at that statement. It was harder to hate the bastard when he was this way. It reminded him of Miltia, of his mistake.

"You tricked me," Jr. said, reminding himself that Albedo was a demon in any form. He was just trying to confuse him the way his Kirschwassers were. "I should've known. I can't kill you. Nothing can."

Dark humor radiated off his words and the snarl on his lips. "I've got to admit. You had me going there for a moment but Sakrua's dead and you know what? I'm glad she's gone. She's safe. You won't ever be able to hurt her or anyone else for that matter!"

If only he weren't so drained. Jr. strained against the arms that held him and twisted his face from Albedo's grip.

"I'm glad you're gone! If I hadn't stopped you...!"

The last bit of Jr.'s energy was waning and fast. He tried to make himself relax and conserve it. He was willing to bet that Albedo wasn't done with him yet and he needed to be able to fight off whatever he was going to throw at him. Albedo only smiled at the sentiment, continuously pressed all of the buttons that would undo whatever restrain Jr. had left. He was completely out of his own control. He paused, trying to gather his senses.

"You like to try and make me forget," Jr. said, voice heavy with threats, "But I know what's real and what isn't. I know!"

The edge in Jr.'s words were almost sharp enough to cut. Albedo shook his head, mocking Jr.'s attempts at self control. He grabbed Jr.'s chin again, forcing his eyes to him. Not sharp enough, mon Rubedo.

"Solice is to be found, Rubedo? Hiding in the blood on your clothes and on your hands?

"This is your blood," Jr. shouted, his voice breaking, "Not hers!"

Albedo answered with a tilt of his head, "Oh glorious denial, dear sweet agony, I believe they have never looked so beautiful on any being before."

"Jealous prick," Jr. hissed, spitting at him and trying to will his body to find strength.

Albedo smile grew wider and his eyes flashed with excitement at the action. "Jealous," he screamed, laughing his insanity. "Why I'm positively red with envy and you, Rubedo, are positively white with rage! Helpless rage, hopeless rage!"

Albedo's hand found the back of his neck and pulled his body against him. The Kirschwassers instantly released him and Jr. followed the motion heavily, stumbling on weak knees and hanging limply by Albedo's hand while the other moved to hang loosely around Jr.'s shoulder blades.

"Does it please you, if denial is my delusion, to have such blood on your body? Proof of your kill?" he asked, excitement still shining in his gaze. He ran his tongue over the bit of saliva that had landed on his cheek.

Jr. scowled at him. Albedo waited, grinning angry shudders through his older brother. He basked at the anger in Jr.'s eyes; embers fighting to boil him in their heated gaze.

"You fucking bet it does."

U-DO burned eyes flashed to his excitedly. Ah, that was the look. The one that waves of madness screaming for mercy.

"Come Rubedo, enough of this bark," Albedo leaned down, close enough to capture Jr.'s lips. "I want your _bite_."

Jr. shut his eyes, preparing himself for whatever Albedo was about to do to him.

'Wake up. Wake up, please Jr. Wake up!'

_"Jr."_

That voice...  
Jr. opened his eyes. Albedo was there, scowling at something Jr. couldn't see. Jr. couldn't remember the last time he'd seen any sort of look like that on Albedo's face. Anything that was negative usually caused him some sort of euphoria. He felt himself getting dizzy and heavier in Albedo's small arms. He blinked, trying to fix the wavering world with that one motion. Somewhere in the fog of his mind he heard Albedo's frustrated voice.

"Curse the angel that guards you."

His brow furrowed at the sentence. What was he talking about?

_"Jr.?"_

Lips pressed against his ear, he could feel Albedo smile and Jr. had the sickening feeling that there was a hidden promise in it somewhere."See now how quickly redemption gives weigh beneath vengence, beneath salvation. Who do we save when the monster is the sacrifice?"

_"Jr.? Jr.? Can you hear me?"_

He could feel Albedo's claws again and realized that he must be changing back. Part of him cringed at the thought. Jr. was in no position to put up a fight against a young Albedo, let alone his adult form. As his breathing became more and more shallow it seemed that it wouldn't matter anyway. The shaking world vanished into a darker one as he slid his eyes closed.

_"Wake up, Jr. We have to go."_

Albedo grinned against his neck and the boom of his voice was almost enough to make him jump.

"Tell Gabriel that his horn is too loud."

Then the world went black.

* * *

A/N: Phew! Wow. Finally done. Heh, sorry about the wait. ^^; I'm not sure when the next update will be but I've already started on it so maybe (hopefully) it won't take me too long to get something done. So, how was it? Is it as bad as I think it is? Well I'm sure you'll all let me know. XD  
Reviews are my muse people, so inspire it up. C:


	8. Sickness

A/N: XD Yay! Another chapter. I've gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised with the feedback from the last chapter. It was incredibly hard to write, not to mention it was written in such tiny portions and extremely rushed. _Extremely_ rushed. I was just certain that it didn't fit the way I wanted it to. XD Though, I guess a hard chapter to write isn't necessarily a bad one.

So I'd like to thank all of my reviewers and PM...ers(?) who set me straight.  
Oh, and also to ICameForTheMuffins. Anon reviews are such a treat. CX So thank you for letting me know how you felt. I'm glad you enjoyed it and sorry about all the mistakes. XD CE412 lets me know all about them. If I had muffins I would totally give them to you. C:

Now, let me explain a little bit about this chapter. It's actually been done for quite a while. The reason it wasn't posted earlier is that it was waaay too long. I had to cut it in half and modify both pieces to make seperate chapters. Because of this, the next chapter is almost finished. I had thought about updating both at the same time but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. The next two or three chapters will be more focused on Jr.'s state of mind. Now that's not an exact number and really depends on how long or short chapters will become when I get down to them. Oh, unpredictability. ^^;  
Don't worry though. Albedo's not going anywhere and he'll be back full force very soon.

Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! Wait...no it's just a disclaimer: That's right ladies and gentlemen. Tylida doesn't own anything but the plot here and the disturbed mind that produced it.

**Warning**: Hah! Fooled you! There isn't one this time. CX

* * *

_"I'm just as sick as the others, although I prefer to do my sickness in private."  
-_Mick Mars

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 8  
Sickness

"Whoa," Virgil murmured as he watched Albedo's performance. He was really going all out, wasn't he? He frowned behind his mask. 'Poor kid,' he thought as he watched Jr. slump down in front of Albedo's throne. Albedo was excellent when it came to devastating people and Jr.'s pain seemed to be his specialty.  
Virgil shrugged. Oh well. At least it wasn't him. He cringed as Albedo cupped Jr.'s chin, displaying his trademark grin. He'd been on the receiving end of that grin before. He had to hand it to the boy; he was handling all of this a lot better than most would. The kid was unbelievably persistent. Even when there was no escape and Albedo had him right where he wanted him, Jr. wasn't backing down. Talk about going out in a blaze of glory. Virgil smirked. Albedo would probably appreciate that one.

He was surprised to see Albedo stop mid-attack on his older brother. He leaned over, as if the action would allow him an answer to his curious mind. What was going on? Then he heard the voice and he couldn't keep the smirk from returning. Well that was an unexpected surprise. He watched Albedo's nightmare dissolve as Jr.'s mind was finally able to escape his grasp. The boy opened his eyes and Albedo was back instantly.

"Gabriel," Albedo spat. Virgil spun around to see the White Testament walking toward him. He didn't seem particularly angry, only irritated. He hadn't been planning on going much farther than that anyway. Every second with his Rubedo counted though, and to be stripped of even a portion of a nanosecond was cause for anger. Virgil could feel Albedo's frown despite the fact that his white mask covered it.

"I decide the coming of kingdoms, not this boy."

"Really," Virgil remarked, "Because it looks like he just did."

Virgil knew that would last little jab would probably irk Albedo's anger and waited for some sort of retaliation. Albedo apparently wasn't in the mood though and only shook his head.

"His knowledge of my presence is nonexistent," he shifted uneasily and sighed, "At least while time allows."

"Afraid he'll cut your play time short?" Virgil asked.

"He will not interfere," Albedo stated but it sounded more like a threat than something he knew for a fact.

"For your sake I hope he doesn't," Virgil snickered. "He's protective you know; about the people he cares about." Virgil gave a curt little laugh and tilted his head to the side. "Heck he's saved the kid how many times? What makes you think he won't figure out what you're doing to Jr. and --"

"Rubedo," Albedo corrected harshly, his face tearing away from the image of Jr. momentarily to glare through his mask. "Rubedo."

Virgil rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever. Point is, kid's got a bodyguard...an angelic one at that. Not to mention that brother of yours if he finds out."

Albedo pulled off his mask and Virgil was surprised to see a soft smile on his face.

"The will of my dragon is not so easily broken. He accepts help from no one," Albedo returned his eyes to his brother. "Devastation and lunacy will reach him far before salvation."

"Albedo…"

The Testament raised a white eyebrow at the tone of his reluctant partner's voice.

"I don't understand what you're trying to do. Hell, you really messed him up back there," Virgil wasn't sure why he was saying what he was but there was something about this that was bothering him.

"I don't think you're going to get the love you want. Not like this."

The evil grin appeared on his lips, "Weak stomach, Gluttony? Why how very queer that the bowels of such a sinner would reject this image. Did you not destroy so many of man's puppets for your attempts at saving the Maiden?"

"Realians aren't people. They're mindless, moral less, sickening creations! They're tools and nothing more. They don't have souls," Virgil snarled, averting Albedo's grin and gaze.

"Oh? And what of your hybrid?"

Virgil gritted his teeth and glared daggers at Albedo, turning his back to him. "She's different! And as much as you like to pretend that you don't, you have one and so does the object of your twisted obsession."

Virgil stomped away from him. If Albedo wanted to fuck up his only chance at reaching what he wanted then it was his problem. He could care less.

"Have fun screwing this up."

He really needed to start hating Albedo as much as he hated Voyager. This was getting ridiculous.

* * *

"Jr." chaos said gently. He pressed his hand against the boy's uninjured shoulder. He had been surprised to find Jr. actually asleep. It had been a pleasant surprise because Jr. needed rest even if he liked to pretend that he didn't.

"Jr.?" chaos whispered again, pushing a little harder in order to wake him up. He felt a little guilty. Jr. looked so peaceful. When was the last time he'd had a decent rest? Surely Gaignun would rather him rest. Then chaos remembered the anxious look in Jr.'s eyes as he asked about Albedo and decided that no, it was more important for him to see a doctor.

"Jr.? Jr.? Can you hear me?"

Jr. stirred, groaning something incoherent and chaos smiled when he heard the slightest curse. He shook him a little harder. Jr. frowned and shook his head. chaos took that as a sign of irritation and sat down beside him on the bed. He leaned over him and pressed down on his shoulder again.

"Wake up, Jr.," chaos said, slight amusement in his voice, "We have to go."

Jr.'s breathing shallowed and chaos assumed he was taking a deep breath, getting ready to yell sleepily at whoever was disturbing his dreams. chaos shook him once more and to his surprise, Jr.'s eyes snapped open and he sat up instantly. chaos didn't have time to react and Jr. ended up slamming his forehead against chaos'. Both boys recoiled, chaos pulling up and away while Jr. fell back onto his bed.

"Shit," Jr. hissed, clutching his throbbing head.

chaos chuckled and rubbed the ache in his head. "Sorry, Jr.," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Jr. pushed himself up, wincing a little. He sat up carefully and slowly. His eyes scanned the room frantically for something chaos couldn't see. He shook his head and looked down at himself, placing a hand against his shoulder.

"Jr.?"

Jr. ignored him, eyes distant, the hand on his shoulder moving to feel along his neck and chest. chaos frowned and took a few steps toward him.

"Are you alright?"

Jr. looked up at chaos and he was very disturbed by the swirl of emotion in Jr.'s blue eyes.

"...Jr.?" chaos asked again, his voice full of worry. The tone snapped Jr. out of his trance and he shook his head.

"I'm...alright."

He met chaos' unsure expression with a tired smile. "You scared me pretty good. You must've taken two years off my life. Do I look ten?"

chaos shook his head. He didn't like the way Jr.'s smile seemed hasty and scrambled. "No, Jr."

"Good," he sighed. Jr. rubbed his forehead and looked down at himself again. The room was silent for a few uncomfortable moments before Jr. cut across chaos' worried thoughts.

"How long have I been out?"

"Well, Mary said that you came in here to take a nap yesterday so...a day at the most."

Jr. didn't seem happy about the news. "Oh well," he said finally. "At least it's less than three."

"Yes," chaos said, taking the opportunity to turn Jr.'s mood into a positive one. "And you seem to be getting better. But we still need to go to the doctor. I'm sure it'll be quick though. You heal very fast. How do you feel?"

Jr. made a face. "My shoulders are kind of sore and my head's killing me."

"Well, that last one is your own fault."

"Yeah I guess it is."

chaos backed away from the bed so that Jr. could push himself off of it. "I hate sleeping in my clothes," he said absently and chaos couldn't help but notice that his mind seemed to be somewhere else. "Hey chaos? You think I could take a shower before we go? I haven't had one in a long time."

"Yeah, sure."

Jr. didn't seem in a hurry to take one though. He seemed strangely paranoid. It were as if he were suspicious of the very walls around him. He reached into his back pockets to feel his Makarovs and gave a shakey sigh. Jr. hestiated a moment more before turning his back to chaos and walking to the adjacent room.

"I'll be right here if you need me, Jr."

That sentence seemed to make him relax a little. The tense aura he held didn't completely vanish but it lessened visibly. Whatever thought had been bothering him must have loosened its hold and allowed him back to reality. Jr. whipped himself around to give chaos a playfully suspicious look.

"chaos, what the hell would I need you for?"

chaos was shocked by his reply at first. He couldn't imagine why saying something as simple as...oh...

"Just go take your shower, Jr.," chaos sighed, smiling.

"Listen chaos, I love you but I'm not in love with you. Does that make sense?"

"Jr…"

"Don't you already have a boyfriend?"

"Jr…"

"I just don't think I'm willing to fight Tony over you."

"For goodness' sake, Jr."

"Don't get me wrong, I mean, I could take him. I'm just not up to it."

"Jr., honestly-"

"I know it's hard buddy, but you two have got a good thing going. What kind of friend would I be if I messed that up?"

"Jr. will you please ju-"

"Alright listen; if you want me that bad I'll break the news to him. I'm not making any promises though."

chaos sighed and rubbed the bruise forming on his head. "Jr., you've already been the cause of one headache. Do you think that you could give me a break?"

Jr. shrugged. "Ok," He grinned. "But the offer stands."

chaos sighed again and nodded. Jr.'s teasing finally stopped and he made his way into the bathroom. chaos shook his head, "That boy."

He leaned back and rubbed his gloved fingers over his bruise. It was going to look silly if Jr. ended up with one in the same place. His translucent eyes fell on the bathroom door where he could hear the shower running. Even though Jr. had been goofing around and smiling before he left, chaos knew something was wrong. He could feel it. He wasn't absolutely sure what it was but he had an idea. He frowned worriedly up at the ceiling. The question was would Jr. tell him about it before it was too late. Jr.'s tired smile and emotion-filled eyes reappeared in his mind and chaos knew that he probably wouldn't.

"Jr.," chaos sighed, closing his eyes. "What am I going to do about you?"

* * *

Jr. laughed up at chaos, playfully shoving him to the side and threatening to give him another bruise. He gently touched his own, a small purple circle on his forehead. He winced a little.

"Don't touch it if it hurts, Jr."

"I can't help it," Jr. said, poking at it again. "I still can't believe I hit you that hard."

"We both have proof of it."

Jr. snorted and shoved him again. He should have been feeling better. He told himself that there was no reason to be upset about anything. chaos' trademark melancholy smile should have been enough to tell that his pessimism was completely uncalled for. The soreness of his shoulders and neck told a different story though. Jr.'s forehead wasn't the only bruise he had but he absolutely refused to believe that any of his injuries, let alone the bruises, were products of nightmares. The crash must have caused them. There was absolutely no way that ordinary nightmares could cause him to bleed or bruise. He could have easily missed them...couldn't he?

They reached the door to the infirmary and Jr. waved his friend a swift goodbye before walking in to see what the doctor would say.

After checking in and finding his way into a small examination room he jumped on the exam table and waited. He glanced around at his surroundings. It was a small room. Only an exam table and a small medical cabinet occupied the room with him. The wait hadn't been as long as it expected it would be. There was a knock on his door before he could start complaining.

"Little Master," the doctor greeted happily as he entered the room. "How are you feeling today?"

'Like hell. How about you doc?'

"I'm alright," Jr. lied, shifting his weight on the exam table. "My head has been killing me but that's about it."

The doctor nodded, looking over some sort of data before placing it down and walking over to Jr.

"Ok, well then let's just see what we have here."

The doctor pulled on pale blue gloves and took a few steps towards him. Jr. stiffened immediately and unconsciously drew in a deep breath. The doctor apparently didn't notice and continued his path until he reached him. He raised his hands to frame Jr.'s face. A small sickening feeling welled up in the bottom of Jr.'s stomach, something akin to small panic. Jr. frowned and tried to internally shake off the weird feeling. The doctor turned Jr.'s head at different angles, occasionally asking him if there was any pain between shifts. Jr. fought desperately with himself not to cringe at his ministrations and chastised himself for being uncharacteristically skittish as he answered no.

"Wonderful," the doctor said, smiling. He pulled away from Jr. and the boy almost let out a sigh of relief. "You're healing quite well, Little Master. I am curious about that bruise on your forehead though."

"Huh? Oh, this?" Jr. touched his bruise lightly, "A friend of mine woke me up and it startled me so I raised up too fast and smashed our heads together. He's got one in the exact same place."

The doctor chuckled and shook his head. "You should be more careful, Little Master."

"Yeah that's what everyone keeps saying."

"Well perhaps you should listen," He joked. He pulled open a desk drawer and pulled out a small device with narrow, rectangular screens on both sides of it. "We don't need any more trauma to your head."

The doctor slid the drawer closed and made his way over to Jr. The variant stiffened once more at his approach. He hissed internally at his reaction and asked himself angrily just what was wrong with him.

"Just a quick scan, Little Master. Then we'll have a look at your shoulder and you should be out of here in no time."

The doctor placed the device against Jr.'s forehead, apologizing ahead of time for brushing against the sore spot. Jr. took a deep breath, hoping this would be over soon. He was beginning to feel strangely claustrophobic for some reason he didn't understand. He suddenly wanted out of the infirmary and away from this doctor. The doctor made a 'hm' sound that had Jr. wondering just exactly what he was seeing. He was about to ask him when the doctor reached under Jr.'s chin and pushed up a little in order to get a better view of what was going on inside his skull. Jr. didn't like the contact and before he had time to stop himself he had pulled back violently and knocked the doctor's hand away. Surprised, the doctor pulled back. Jr. was surprised himself. Why in the world had he done that?

"Little Master," the doctor started carefully, noticing the strange vulnerability in his eyes. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

Jr. shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that."

The doctor paused for a moment before saying, "I see. I think I know what the problem is."

Jr. gave him a questioning look, hoping there was some sort of legitimate medical reason or something for his reaction. He wanted one because he had no idea what was happening.

"Master Gaignun is usually here isn't he?"

Jr. did not like what he was insinuating. He was NOT afraid of the doctor. He was a grown man! He ground his teeth and held in his irritation.

"Uh...yeah," he sighed. "It's my first time in here by myself."

"Would you like me to call Mary or Shelley to come--?"

"No, no it's fine. I'm sorry. I'll sit still."

The doctor quirked an eyebrow as if to ask if he was sure and Jr. nodded. The doctor placed the scanner against him again. Jr. stayed perfectly still this time. He expected the strange feeling to come back but it didn't. Troubled, he tired to figure out exactly what it was that had caused such a frightened reaction. Before he could, however, the scanner was removed and the doctor was taking a step back.

"Ok, Little Master, Everything seems to be clear. I'm not seeing any sort of abnormalities."

"Good," Jr. said absently.

"Now, if you could take off your jacket and shirt I'll take a look at your shoulder and we'll be done."

Jr. nodded and mechanically did as he asked, lost in his thoughts. What was it about that touch that had freaked him out? He watched the doctor with suspicious eyes, suddenly remembering the blonde Realian nurse and her needle. No, that had been a dream. Yes, that was right. chaos had said that no one had been in the room. So...was he asleep? Jr. set his jacket beside him and started to pull off his shirt. Could he be asleep? Maybe. It was possible wasn't it? He had yet to be deceived by waking up in a nightmare only to discover that he was still in said nightmare. It was plausible though. It would explain how he felt the absolute need to be on the defensive against the doctor. The doctor hadn't tried anything or said anything out of the ordinary. Jr. had at least been hearing things when he was talking to the nurse. That's right. There were always signs when he was in a nightmare. Some sort of subconscious warning. Could that explain this strange feeling he had?

"Little Master..."

The sound of his voice caught Jr.'s attention and brought him out of his thoughts. "Hm?"

"What...happened?"

It took Jr. a moment to realize what had the doctor so upset. His bruises! He'd completely forgotten about them during his mini-freak out. Wonderful. Just what he needed. Jr. looked down at himself. Well, it was too late to cover them up now.

He'd found them during his shower and his very first thought had been how he would hide them. One adorned each bicep, one at the base of his neck and one on the outer curves of each shoulder. He had more on his legs too but he absolutely refused to take off his pants and he dared this doctor to ask him to. He didn't, but what he did ask caught Jr. off-guard.

"Little Master...I know that Master Gaignun has been gone for some time and I also know of the assassination attempt but..." Jr. watched him fidget a little, trying to either find the right words or get up enough courage to ask. "Is someone...abusing you?"

"Excuse me?!" Jr. shouted, absolutely shocked.

"Little Master, it's ok," he said urgently. "If you tell me who it is I can notify Master Gaignun and we can-"

Jr. held up his hands to stop his flow of words. "Whoa, whoa, let's slow down there, doc."

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. Jr. was not weak and he was absolutely not a victim. He could take care of himself. Why didn't anyone believe that?

"No one is abusing me, seriously. No one threatened me or anything like that. I don't know how they got there. Knowing me, I probably hit something but nobody hit me."

His sentence sparked a memory. His eyes roamed down to his hands. He had bruises on his knuckles too.

**"You motherfucking bastard!" And he was slamming his fists into **_**him**_**. He couldn't stop, didn't want to.**

His hands balled into fists and he looked up at the doctor. He didn't seem very convinced. Concern still splayed across his features as he bent to inspect the bruise that covered Jr.'s old wound. A corner of it had apparently ripped open. The doctor was very careful with the way he touched Jr. now. His fingers were quick and hesitant, barely touching him as he inspected the color and size of his injuries. Jr. wasn't sure which he liked more now. He obviously hadn't liked the feeling he had gotten earlier, but now the doctor was treating him as if he were a victim; something that should be handled with delicacy. Jr. hated that. Silently the doctor pulled away, grabbing a thin lazer out of cabinet to run along the open wound and close it back. After a sigh and a closed cabinet, the doctor leaned against his little station and folded his arms across his chest.

"You're perfectly fine, Little Master. All of your wounds are healing wonderfully. As for your new injuries...they don't seem to be serious and should heal very fast."

He paused for a moment and dug into one of his pockets. He pulled out a small capsule and walked over to hand it to Jr. "This is pain medicine I was going to give you earlier for headaches. They're strong and might make you a little loopy so be careful about when you take them."

"Thanks," Jr. said. He tried to keep the aggravation out of his voice but couldn't completely.

The doctor nodded. Jr. took that as a dismissal and started to pull on his shirt. He waited, as he pulled on his clothing, for the doctor to say something. He looked as if he were about to burst from holding words in. Jr. had pulled on his jacket, jumped off the exam table, and still the doctor had said nothing.

"Listen," Jr. offered, turning to face him. "I'm not in any trouble, I swear. I have to come here everyday for the next few weeks anyway. If you see anything else on my anatomy that bothers you or points to some sort of abuse, I'll let you tell Gaignun or whoever it was you wanted to tell. But until then, can you keep it quiet?"

The doctor looked as if he were about to protest but must have thought better of it because he nodded. "Of course. Just please be careful, Little Master."

He pushed himself away from his station and made his way to the door. He opened it and stepped halfway through before saying, "I don't know what any of us would do if our Foundation's prince was harmed."

Wait, what?

Jr.'s head snapped up and he rushed to the door, throwing it open and running out into the infirmary's hallways. By the time he'd gotten there the doctor was gone, leaving Jr. to wonder if he had just imagined what he had just heard.

* * *

Albedo couldn't stop the smile from forming.

Virgil.

He just couldn't stay away could he? Albedo liked that, his absolute stubbornness. His earlier sign of hesitant concern must have made him feel awkward. That combined with Albedo's insulting of that silly little hybrid had surely warranted a long departure. He honestly hadn't been expected back so soon. Albedo decided not to patronize him and instead kept his glance on his older brother. He found a strange sort of bittersweet joy at the sight of his brother struggling with his mentality. Why was it that white walls of safety chilled you so, Rubedo? What was it about that man's touch that had your very skin crawling away from his fingertips? No, it wasn't his doing. Not yet.

"It is strange," The White Testament said aloud as Virgil's footsteps stopped behind him.

"What is?" He asked and the tone betrayed him. Ah, so that was why.

"How very quiet the mind is."

Virgil crossed his arms and gave him a confused expression.

"Yeah," he said as if that were the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. "There's only one person in there."

The Blue Testament must have realized the stupidity of his statement a second later because the end of his sentence was muted and abrupt. Albedo could hear his frustration. Something was riding on his conscience. Strange that he still bore one.

"How this emptiness overpowers my senses. Silence enough to drive a madman...mad."

Albedo was pleased also by how quickly Virgil had grown to understand his language.

"What? Can't feel him anymore?"

Albedo didn't answer.

_It's not the same?_

Albedo was a little surprised to hear Virgil's voice in his mind and smiled, shaking his head. It was a sentence and that was all; a voice. It was nothing like the onslaught of constant thoughts and emotions of his previous link. It was nothing when compared to the ability of being able to feel someone's presence, their very essence. He couldn't feel Jr. anymore.

_Not at all?_

"Not allowed."

"You can control something like that?" Virgil asked, skeptical. "I thought that was well...impossible."

"Before I took this fold."

Albedo's eyes landed onto the square of missing fabric he'd ripped out of his glove. Virgil placed his back against the wall in front of him, arms crossed, scarred face visible. His face held the expression Albedo was used to seeing before that strange conscience had made itself known. It was the one that dared and challenged the world; sublime resentment. It was attractive. What a lucky little hybrid.

"Heh, so what now? Proud of yourself?"

Albedo's eyes fell back onto Jr. He was proud, extremely proud. This was the outcome he had wanted. That last visit had left a visible impression, one the others had not. He was getting better at wearing lunacy. He was achieving his goal and the old Albedo would have devoured the sight of Jr.'s struggle, every moment of his hesitance. He would have broken into maddening laughter at the doctor's query of abuse and drowned in overwhelming pleasure at his Dragon's weakness. So maybe that was why he didn't want to admit that the sight of a bruised and battered Rubedo wasn't the high it had once been.

'It will be worth it,' he told himself. 'When he realizes, the pain will stop. Until then...'

An evil grin made itself known to Virgil. Albedo's lips were so used to the display that he was sure that even he would have believed its appearance.

"Immensely. His every motion has the echo of my presence. Such a wonderful dance his mind commands of him."

"Well, it'll be a little while before he sleeps."

Albedo's eyes carried sadistic mischief in their gaze. Virgil caught the sight.

"Wait..." he started, trying to understand. "You're not supposed to touch him while is awake. You can only visit him during his sleep right? You'll screw up your deal, Albedo."

"Aware am I of the boundaries I must not cross." So Albedo didn't quite like the after show. That didn't make him at all adverse to the performance. "In his presence I may not stand. Let us...play with his surroundings then."

* * *

"Damn doctor," Jr. hissed as he made his way out of the infirmary. The wound and bruise on his right shoulder had decided to work together to cause him discomfort. He pulled at his coat a bit, trying to make it more comfortable. It wasn't working and that only furthered his frustration. Why hadn't he just remembered? That's all it would have taken. He should've laughed it off. It had just been so sudden. He made his way out of the doors and into the lobby. Today just wasn't his day. Then again, he was having a lot of bad days lately and even worse nights. Jr. leaned his back against one of the lobby's walls. "God, I feel like killing something."

"That bad, huh?"

Jr.'s eyes moved to the bench in front of him to see chaos smiling up at him.

"Yeah," Jr. responded, his voice heavy. "Almost bad enough to make me want to kill babies."

chaos chuckled and shook his head.

"So," Jr. started, pushing away from the wall. "What are you doing here? I thought you were only an escort. Don't tell me that Gaignun can't trust me to walk back on my own. That part I have no problem with."

"No, that's not it at all. I was only worried. Besides," chaos pushed himself up, "there's always a chance that you might wait until I'm gone, run straight to the bridge, and make up some diagnosis to get everyone off of your back."

"Oh man! Why didn't I think of that?"

"I'm surprised that you didn't."

Jr. shrugged, and winced at the pain the action caused. "I ripped the seal open anyway. It's too deep to ignore. I really don't need to be bleeding all over the place, huh?"

"I don't think that would be very pleasant."

"Alright then," Jr. said with a smile. He straightened himself up and forced himself to ignore the slight ache in his shoulder. "Since there is nothing wrong with me, I'd like to get back to work."

The thought of returning to his old routine made him feel better. He was beginning to feel like his old self and even the idea of picking up Gaignun's slack didn't seem as bad as it once had. That didn't mean he wouldn't complain of course. He stuck his hands in his pockets and flashed chaos a grin.

"Well? Get a move on, flunkey. Let's go."

chaos rolled his eyes and the two started toward the Durandal's transport. Thoughts of his last doctor's visit disappeared the closer they got and he was thankful finally that he could get on with life. Next time he decided to go joy riding he'd wear a helmet.

"What did the doctor say exactly?"

Jr. shrugged, "Nothing really. I'm fine. He gave me some pain medicine, but I haven't had a bad headache in a while. Well," he said, pressing his fingers against his bruise and causing chaos to smile. "Unless you count this morning."

"That simple, then?"

"Yep."

The two boarded the transport and took seats close to the door.

"Did you get into an argument with him?" chaos asked in that soft voice of his, trying to figure out the source of Jr.'s earlier irritation. Jr. nodded and leaned back in his seat. The transport was filled with people. They were all talking and laughing. Some of them waved to Jr. and asked him how he was. The sound was like relaxing music to his tired mind. He liked being around people. This was better than any pill his overly concerned doctor could prescribe. Somewhere he heard a faint beating like the sound of music. He looked around lazily for the source, half-wondering if it was a song he could recognize.

"Yeah, a small one. It's not a big deal. It just gets on my nerves when people treat me like a kid."

Someone must have been listening to music but he couldn't find anyone with ear buds. He closed his eyes and sighed. Oh well.

"I mean, I guess people can't help it. Just about every twelve-year-old boy claims he's not a kid. I just happen to be an exception."

chaos nodded. "You do tend to act like one."

"I'm going to let that one slide, chaos."

Jr. was glad to be somewhere outside of his room or a hospital bed. It was refreshing. The music was beginning to disturb his thoughts though and he couldn't help but frown. Someone should turn it down. There was no way it couldn't be hurting their ears if Jr. could hear it enough to be bothered by it. It seemed they were doing the opposite however, as the muffled sound became clearer. He decided that he was simply too tense. That doctor's visit hadn't been the most relaxing thing in the world. Once he started work then he could loosen up and focus on mind-numbing paper work. The thought seemed a little backwards. People usually unwound after work, not during. Even though Jr. tried very hard to keep the good, positive feeling he had with him something dark was pressing its way into his mind. The feeling of the doctor's hands on his face and the sudden flash of motion from him...that strange panic...the need to defend himself from him. He hadn't even thought about it, it had just happened.

He gritted his teeth. He knew why it had happened. He knew what had triggered it. He just didn't want to admit it.

'Don't think about it,' he told himself. 'It was just a bad dream and those are all over now.'

The transport stopped and people filed out. Part of Jr. hoped that the person who's music was bothering him would leave. He must have because the minute the transport started up again it was silent. The transport pulled slowly away from its last start. Jr. felt the capsule in his pocket brush against his side. He hoped that he wouldn't have to use it. chaos was half-right about him acting like a child, at least it came to taking medicine. If it was going to make him loopy then he wouldn't take it unless he really needed to. The last thing he wanted was someone telling him to get back in bed after his few minutes of freedom. He knew too that even though Mary and Shelley had been able to handle things so far, he was the one who needed to be there. The Foundation belonged to him and was his responsibility. He supposed Second Miltia ran pretty good without Helmer though, if he ever happened to be sick. Jr. was just glad that he was able to be ba-- "Ugh!"

Jr. opened his eyes and abandoned his relaxed posture.

"What is it, Jr.?"

Jr. frowned up at his friend, "Don't you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Jr. looked around for the source, ready to point to the place it was stemming from. He stopped instantly once he realized that no one had boarded the Durandal at the last stop. That didn't make any sense. The noise had to be coming from somewhere and it was definitely _somewhere_.

"You mean...you really don't hear that?"

"No, Jr."

Jr. shot him a confused look. chaos couldn't hear it? How could he not? It was so loud it was starting to hurt.

"Jr.?"

Jr. could barely hear him over the pounding. It was loud. It was so loud!

"Jr. what is wrong? Are you alright?"

Was he imagining it?

"Jr., answer me."

No, he couldn't be. It was too real. He could feel the sound as if it were slamming into him. Jr. took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to will the horrible pounding away. He was awake. It was just a hallucination. He was awake. Albedo wasn't here. Everything was fine.

He opened his eyes and was met with nothing but the silent transport and a worried chaos.

"I'm ok," he said, eyes tracing every line and shadow of the transport. He slowly inched his left hand to cover the hilt of his Makarov. He was careful of his voice as he spoke to chaos.

"Just a headache. Heh, that's what I have pain pills for."

"...How are you feeling now?"

The sound was completely gone and everything was silent except for the sound of chaos' breathing. The noise made Jr. realize that he was holding his own breath. He exhaled as his eyes traced his surroundings once more before he straightened himself up. Pulling himself together, he moved his hand away from his weapons and nodded to chaos.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Jr. answered, hoping his voice didn't sound too strained. "Just a ringing in my ears."

He faked a wince and shook his head. "Guess I should take my medicine soon, huh?"

chaos nodded worriedly. "Yes. I think you might even need to skip work - now wait a minute Jr.," chaos said, holding up in hands in defense at Jr.'s expression. "It was just a suggestion. If you think that you're ready to go back to work then..."

Here chaos sighed, arms sliding back down to his sides. Jr. was waiting for some sort of lecture or pleading. He was fine. The earlier sickening feeling knotted its way into his stomach as he forced himself not to glance around. The urge to shake his head was almost too good to pass up but he held his stance. If chaos suspected anything other than a headache there was no telling what would happen. He wasn't about to be put on some other sort of medication or sent back to a bed.

"I'm not going to stop you," chaos finished. "As much as I don't like for you to put off rest, the Foundation really does need you back. With both you and Gaignun gone, Mary and Shelley have a handful and no one can run it as efficiently as you."

Jr. smirked and crossed his arms. "Damn straight."

The transport came to a smooth stop and the door whipped open, allowing passengers to board. Jr. pushed himself up and started to make his way out.

"Thanks chaos, but I'm fine. I promise."

He paused for a moment and shot him a grin. "Hey, if I have time I'll stop by the Elsa later."

chaos gave him a soft smile, worry evident in the set of his lips. "That'd be great."

The door was going to close soon so Jr. slipped through, winking at his friend.

"Catch you later!"

As Jr. launched himself out of the closing door he could've sworn that he could hear the sound once again. He tensed and twisted around to watch the door slide those last few centimeters closed. Nothing. The transport pulled away and moved smoothly onto its next destination. Jr. uneasily made his way to the bridge.

'He's not here.'

He shook his head and placed a hand against his forehead. This was absolutely stupid. He took a deep breath and made his way over the Durandal's bridge.

'He's not here.'

* * *

A/N: Well there ya go. C: The next chapter should be up sometime this week or sometime next week. I have got to find some free time! It will be up though, I promise. ;) I'll keep writing as long as you all want more. Reviews are my muse so inspire it up, people!


	9. White Noise

A/N: Wow! I'm alive! D:  
Indeed I am everyone. I'm extremely sorry for the wait but my illness is totally beating me up. XC Though nothing will stop me from writing this story! Seriously, I thank you for your patience and beg a little more of you.

Whoo! Man. Too long! I'm a little hesitant to post this chapter because of my long absence but eh. Gotta start posting again sometime right? This chapter is another Albedo-less one...technically anyway. Don't worry though he WILL be back. This wouldn't be much of a story if he never showed up now would it? XD

Before I begin I would also like to dedicate this chapter to _Aislene Phoenix Nocturnus._ I'm very glad that you're back! You had me worried! D: It's wonderful to hear of your return and I certainly hope that everything goes works out for you. C:

Well that's enough of my nonsense. On with the story!

Warning: There's not one. You've been warned. D:  
Disclaimer: Guess who doesn't own Xenosaga or its characters! You! It's ok. I don't either. C:

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 9  
White Noise

"_What if death is nothing but sound? Electrical noise. You hear it forever. Sound all around. How awful. Uniform, white."  
_- _White Noise_ Don DeLillo

* * *

"Mary," Shelley said, a frown on her elegant lips. "Must you do this now? It doesn't seem at all necessary."

"Yep," Mary giggled. "Got to."

"At this particular moment?"

Mary nodded. Shelley gave up and turned her eyes back to the screen she was working on. Mary crossed her arms to stare at her handiwork before shaking her head, unsatisfied.

"He just won't stay still. Hey. You. Stay still for me," She gave an exasperated sigh when that didn't work propped herself up against the control panel.

"Now just what am I gonna to do about you?"

"Mary, I believe that it would be best to wait."

"No. I've gotta get done before the Lil' Master gets here."

"Why? You planning some sort of surprise?"

Both girls turned to the elevator at the sound of his voice. He gave them a crooked smile and crossed his arms as the elevator rose it's final few inches.

"It better be a good one 'cus let me tell ya," He said as it made its stop, "My day's going to hell and fast."

"Lil' Master!" Mary squealed happily. "You look so much better!"

He smiled at her, "Good. That's what I was going for."

"Are you really well enough to be here, Little Master?" Shelley asked skeptically.

"Yeah I swear, Shelley. chaos took me to see the doctor and everything."

"And his diagnosis?"

Jr. grinned and cleared his throat.

"'You're perfectly fine, Little Master." Jr. mimicked. "All of your wounds are healing wonderfully.' Then he threw some pills at me and we were done."

Mary made an excited noise behind him. "So that means you're almost all better now, huh?"

"Good enough to come back to work," he replied.

"That is wonderful, Little Master. You have been extremely missed."

"Heh really? Well I missed you guys too."

"But um...Lil' Master?"

"Hm?" Jr. asked, turning around to face Mary.

"You said that you were havin' a bad day. Did somethin' happen?"

"No," he lied, and gave her a shrug, "Just kinda tired and you know how doctors talk to me."

"Oh...! Sorry."

"Hey it happens. Speaking of which," Jr. started questioningly, leaning over to see what Mary had on the panel behind her. She had been trying to keep whatever it was out of his line of vision, moving just enough to block it. "What did you have to finish before I got here?"

"Nothin'..." she said, moving her arms behind her.

"No really, what is it?"

Jr. took a step closer and she took one back. Jr. was about to ask her again when he heard a small yip. Mary stiffened.

"Mary," Jr. said, crossing his arms. "What are you doing to my dog?"

"I didn't do nothin' bad to him, Lil' Master, I swear!" Mary defended.

"Then why are you trying to hide him?"

"'Cus you're gonna make me stop."

"Stop what?"

Alby gave another yip and squirmed out of Mary's grasp. The white puppy landed on the floor and ran to Jr. He barked playfully and gripped the bottom of Jr.'s pants, demanding the boy's attention. Jr. scanned the vicious ball of white for a moment but couldn't see anything different about him. He bent down to pick him up and inspect him better. Still nothing seemed different. He shot Mary a confused look, wondering what she had been so worried about. He shrugged and held the puppy at arm's length to get a better view. That's when he saw it.

"Mary! What did you do to him?"

"Nothin' bad Lil' Master!"

"Nothing bad? His claws are purple!"

"I only painted his fingernails," she grumbled. "And I didn't even get finished."

Jr. sighed and hugged the puppy closer to find that only three of his paws had been painted, leaving the left front one clear and colorless.

"Sorry Alby."

"Lil' Master," Mary said, placing her hands on her hips. "It ain't that bad. I think he looks cute."

"He's a boy, Mary! Boys don't paint their fingernails!"

"Just let me finish the other one. It'll look silly if I don't."

"It looks sillier with it on!"

Alby's ears flicked back and forth at their voices but decided it wasn't important. He pulled his unpolished paw out of Jr.'s hand and squirmed around until the variant held him in a way that was comfortable. The two argued for a few more minutes before Mary gave up.

"Fine, Lil' Master. I'll get remover and wipe it off."

"I think it would be best to save that for later, Mary," Shelley said, with slight annoyance in her voice. "We have work to do. Painting Alby's claws didn't stop you from getting those read-outs did they?"

"Nope. I can multi-task," Mary said smiling and handing the data over to her sister.

"Thank you. Little Master?"

"Yeah? Got something for me?"

Shelley nodded. "I have quite a few things for you."

Her fingers ran across the panel to pull up the data she was going to give him. Five monitors popped up and she reached out to take them. Her voice was serious as she handed them to him.

"Only if you are ready to begin work."

Jr. rolled his eyes and sat Alby down before taking them from her. "I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle."

Shelley nodded and turned back to her screen.

"We'll give ya more if ya want Lil' Master. When you're done with all that stuff, I mean."

He shrugged and ran his eyes over the transparent windows. "Doesn't look too complicated. Let me just grab a console and I'll get started."

"You're not gonna work up here with us, Lil' Master?" Mary asked, clearly disappointed. "I really didn't think it would make you that mad."

"I'm not mad, Mary. I'm just kinda tired so I'm going to sit down and try to work away from distractions."

Her smile returned and she nodded. "Oh I see. Guess I'm pretty distractin', huh?"

"Very distracting," he said, grinning. "And I don't have the brain power to deal with that today."

"Ok Lil' Master. Have fun. Holler if you need us."

Jr. nodded and made his way over to the empty console at the far left of the bridge. Alby jumped down and followed after him. He made a slight detour however, and instead of following Jr. all the way to his desk, walked over to a working 100-series. He barked up at her, startling her a little. She looked down to find the white ball of fur beside her. He barked again and jumped up to place his front paws against her thigh. She giggled and patted his head.

"Hello Alby. What are you doing over here?"

Her eyes found the purple paint on his claws and she smiled, running a finger along one.

"How cute."

Somewhere from behind the Durandal's control panel she heard Mary shout:

"Hah! I told you, Lil' Master!"

* * *

Six hourse later Jr. was beginning to wonder how Mary and Shelley had managed to keep everything under control by themselves. He alternated between floating monitors and piles of paperwork and wondered (not so silently) how Gaignun wasn't driven insane by the sheer amount of paperwork he was doing all the time. He made a quick mental note to never miss work again. Too much piled up while he was away. A small headache working its way around his temples but he ignored it. He finished his brother's signiture on one form and placed it onto a stack of others. He reached up to one of the monitors to adjust the problem he found there and grabbed another piece of unfinished paperwork.

Alby sat on a corner of Jr.'s small desk, curled up in a little ball. His ears flicked toward him any time Jr.'s paper shuffling was too loud. The dog gave an annoyed sigh when his master returned to the screens again. Jr. chuckled and cut his eyes over to the animal.

"Sorry. I've got to work or you won't have a place to be bored anymore."

Jr. signed another piece of paper and stacked it onto his pile before lying his head on the desk. Alby opened his eyes and wagged his tail slightly as if to ask, "Oh? Can we play now?"

Jr.'s headache was buzzing its way through the rest of his mind. The weight of the medicine in his pocket seemed to be beckoning him but he wasn't going to listen. He was already tired and even if it hadn't had the effect of dizziness it would probably make him sleepy. He wasn't ready to sleep. He opened his eyes and pushed himself back up.

"You know," Jr. said, scanning over the paper in his hands. If he could just get back to work and keep himself occupied... "if I had wanted you to have purple claws I would have ordered you that way."

Over the next couple of hours his headache grew worse. It was almost to the point that he couldn't focus on the objects in front of him. He angrily stopped working and rubbed his temples.

"Damn."

It was that sound again. That confusing sound. Like music being played through an ancient tranmission with terrible interference. One moment it was music, the next it was noise, pounding. Different sounds meshed together behind a wall of static. He glanced at the screens above him hoping to find some sort of music or anything that would be the cause of the noise he was hearing. Though that was impossible. Only obsolete methods of communication gave that sound. Connection with anything was almost flawless thanks to the U.M.N. And even on those rare occassions when it didn't work, there was no noise at all. It was silent. Silent until a connection could be made. No. This wasn't music...  
Jr. closed his eyes against the noise. What were the chances that the exact same sound that had haunted him in the transport would be somewhere on the Bridge? And what are the odds that the very same noise would be sounding here? Could he have missed something? Someone on the transport? In the Bridge's lobby?

"Lil' Master?"

Jr. opened his eyes and dropped his hands.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?" Mary asked and she sounded so far away. She must have been closer than he thought because the pile of finished paperwork in front of him magically disappeared. He nodded, keeping his eyes where the paper had been.

"Yeah I'm fine."

He was surprised to hear that his own voice sounded just as distant as her's. This noise was so distracting. What could it be? The pain in his head escalated. He gasped in surprise and held his head in his hands.

"Lil' Master? Lil' Master?"

"Uh...It's alright, Mary."

Jr. held himself together despite the fact that his body threatened to sway beneath the pressure behind his skull and disturbing pounding in his ears.

"You should take your medicine, Lil' Master," Mary said, concern heavy in her voice.

"I'll bring ya somethin' to drink or..." Mary stuck the stack of papers under her arm and placed a finger on her chin. "What kinda medicine is it? Betcha hafta eat somethin' with it. I can bring ya somethin' to eat, Lil' Master. You haven't eaten anythin' all day, have ya? I bet not."

He smiled at her through the pain. "It's a capsule and you're right. I don't really feel like eating though."

Jr. wasn't going to take his medicine and he wasn't going to argue about it. Mary shook her head.

"That's nonsense, Lil' Master. I'm gonna get ya some food. Shelley an' I are takin' a break anyway. Ain't that right, Shelley?"

"It is."

Jr. turned sideways in his seat to see Shelley walking toward them. She gave him a warm smile.

"Why don't you join us, Little Master? You have been working very hard today. I believe you worked straight through lunch if I am not mistaken."

Jr. shook his head and adopted his trademark grin. He leaned an arm over the back of his chair.

"It's my job you two have been doing, remember?"

"That and Master Gaignun's, Little Master. We do not mind helping you at all. It is a lot of work, even for him."

"Got that right!" Mary exclaimed, winking and patting the paper under her arm. "We should make him do somethin' real nice for us when he gets back."

"Hell yeah," Jr. said, finding a piece of his old self. "He's out there winning over diplomats, having parties. I don't remember saying he could take a vaca-"

Jr.'s eyes went wide and his sentence stopped in time with his breath. The small blockade he'd had over his thoughts disappeared instantly. The link, his link. The sound, the noise, everything was coming from his mental link. Not from Gaignun's end. It was from...

"Little Master?"

What a stupid thought. Jr. knew better than anyone just how impossible that was. He'd felt Albedo's line break. He'd felt it shatter like glass into a thousand different pieces. He'd felt it. It had been as if someone had physically ripped something out of him. He'd felt it.

"-tion. Vacation. I'm his boss. Everyone seems to forget that."

Mary and Shelley exchanged worried glances.

"Oh, Lil' Master. Ya cain't boss everyone around all the time. He's workin' hard too."

The amusement in Mary's voice masked her worry well enough but it didn't matter. Jr. hadn't heard her. He was hearing something else. Suddenly the volume kicked up and slammed itself into him. Desperately he tried to hold himself together.

"Hey, can you guys hear that?" Jr. asked. His voice was loud as he spoke. Not to him, but to the girls. Mary bit her bottom lip and Shelley frowned.

"Hear what, Little Master?"

"Nothing. Nothing, nevermind." But he was shouting his answers. He had to. He couldn't hear himself over the noise. It was consuming him. His heart beat to its tempo. His blood pulsed to its rhythm. His body crumbled beneath its pressure. Choking on the sound, Jr. stood in order to gain some semblance of reality. It was too much. They had to hear it. Someone had to hear it.

"I think I've changed my mind," Jr. yelled, his voice as pale as his complextion. The control he had over his appearance was fading fast. He needed to get away from everyone. With great difficulty and blurry vision Jr. staggered to the elevator.

"I'm going to..."

He didn't make it however, the sound finally breaking through his resolve and causing his knees to buckle beneath him. Mary and Shelley were at his side immediately and Jr. could hear the sound of worried whispering from the Realians. A piece of him tried to collect what was left of his lost balance but it was impossible and he quickly abandoned the act to instead keep himself from being crushed beneath the noise.

"Damnit," he hissed. He could feel him. Jr.'s eyes scanned his surroundings anxiously.

'Albedo is dead.'

Jr. took a deep, steadying breath but this time it didn't help. As if to mock him, the pounding grew worse. The pain in his head increased, sending shocks of sharp tendrils down his entire spine. He gasped and shook his head.

"Little Master, what is happening?"

If Albedo was dead then why could Jr. feel him? Albedo's mental link was still gone, broken as it had been for the last few months. The sound couldn't be coming from there. Jr. winced against the pain, hectically searching for the sound assailing him.

Was Albedo...calling him?

No. This was just a headache. He was just imagining things. Hallucinations were normal when someone had any sort of head trauma. He let out a frustrated groan. That nurse who had told him that had been Albedo. He clutched the sides of his head. No it hadn't because Albedo was dead. Albedo was dead. This was all in his head. He needed to calm down but he couldn't ignore the feeling. It was Albedo's link. It was his mind and it was pulling on their broken connection as if it were never ripped apart in the first place. But Jr. knew better. He KNEW better.

"Lih...Lil' Master please tell us what's wrong," Mary pleaded frantically.

She dropped down beside him, hoping to find some way she could help her little captain. Alby jumped down from Jr.'s desk and ran over to his master, whining and giving curious little barks up towards him. Jr. set his panicked gaze on the him before closing his eyes tight again.

"I...I need to..." he choked, trying to struggle out a sentence that would get him away from everyone.

"...I..."

"Little Master you should rest. You're clearly not well enough to continue with your work." Shelley said, thinking he was going to try and convince her that he could.

Unable to force anymore out he nodded harshly at her words. There had to be a way stop this.

"Lil' Master..." Mary begged, hoping that he would tell her a way to fix his problem. She caught sight of the medicine capsule in his pocket and pulled it out before he could protest.

"Lil' Master, ya don't have to eat right now. I can get ya somethin' later. Let's go on and take this ok?"

Jr.'s eyes focused on the capsule but he shook his head and snatched it away from her.

"I don't want it yet..."

"But why?"

"I just don't."

"You need it, Lil' Master. Please."

"I'm fine," he ground out.

He willed himself to stand, swaying a bit. Shelley grabbed one of his arms to help him steady himself.

"Please return to your room, Little Master. We will bring you something to eat so that you will be able to take your medicine. Hopefully it will not make you too sick. Any possible side affect would surely be preferred to the pain you are enduring now."

Mary nodded enthusiastically, leaning down to his eye level and watching his body closely in order to make sure that she could catch him if he were to fall over.

"Come on, Lil' Master. I can take ya back to your room if ya want."

"No...no I can make it."

He blinked his blurry vision away and tried his hardest to straighten up. Mary's frown deepened and she looked down at the medicine clutched in his hand.

"Lil' Master..."

"I'll just head back to my room. Don't worry about the food. I really don't think I can eat right now. I just..." Jr. rubbed his temples and took an unstable few steps forward "...need to go somewhere and clear my head for a minute."

'And find a way to escape this noise.'

Mary wouldn't give up and followed him to the elevator, offering to go with him. He forced his voice to sound smoother as he denied her offer.

"I can make it, Mary. Go ahead. Go to dinner. Hell, take the rest of the day off. It's almost over anyway..."

"Little Master, I must insist that you take your medicine. Stubborness will not cure this illness." Shelley said worriedly.

Jr. shook his head. He was tired of arguing with them. He just wanted to get away from the Bridge and get some place, any place quiet. Somewhere where this sound, this noise, this mutilated music wasn't trying to crumple him up like scrap metal in a recycling press. He focused his murky vision onto the medicine in his hand.

**"If it has gained the attention of my most beloved brother then I pray you slumber always."**

Jr. grabbed the side of his head again. The room violently tried to shove him forward under its reckless motion. He thought he heard Mary's voice but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. He blinked back the spinning room and shook his head for the thousandth time. His breathing became labored again. The right side of his chest burned and his wounds pulsed pain throughout him.

**"That I might have the company of my red prince more often."**

He could see it all over again. Flashes of his nightmares slammed into the forefront of his mind. The needle. The knife. The blood.

"Little Master! Little Master! Can you hear me?"

And he could hear him. As if Albedo were whispering in his ears. Dragon. Wrath. Precious. Heart. Brother. Prince.

"Lil' Master! Answer us!"

He could feel him. He was everywhere! Holding him down! His claws on Jr.'s face, on his neck! He couldn't fight him!

Someone was shaking him. Someone was trying to get a reaction from him but he was unresponsive. He was lost. Albedo wouldn't let him go. He was killing him with Gaignun! With Sakura!

Sakura!

"Lil' Master!"

Mary's grip on him caused his sealed wound to flare. Instantly he reacted, pushing her off of him and placing a protective hand over the biting pain.

"Damnit!" he hissed.

"Lil' Master I'm so sorry!" Mary cried, "But ya wouldn't answer an' I was afraid..."

Jr. blinked and shot his gaze to the blonde's face. He had heard her.

"...what?"

"I said I was sorry Lil' Master," Mary answered shakily.

Jr. blinked again and scanned the room. Mary sat on her knees in front of him, nervously twirling her hands through her hair. Shelley had a firm hold on his left bicep to keep him steady. 100-series surrounded them in a small circle, worriedly whispering to each other.

Nothing. Cautiously, he pushed himself up. It was over. The noise was gone.

"Little Master," Shelley whispered, "Little Master, please tell us what is wrong. Do we need to take you to the infirmary?"

"No..." Jr. rubbed his temples, disturbed more by this sudden silence than the sound that had haunted him.

How could it have just disappeared? That didn't make any sense.

What was happening? Alby barked up at him, startling him. Jr. stared down at him.

"I'm going to my room," he said. He looked at the medicine in his hand. He was awake. He had to be awake didn't he? Alby barked and surprised him again. Damn that dog.

"And I'm going to take my medicine."

He raised the small capsule up for the girls to see before placing it back in his pocket. Frowning, he offered a hand to help Mary up.

"It's ok Mary."

Mary nodded, answering his frown with a worried one. She took his hand and pushed herself up to stand next to her sister.

"I'm fine, Shelley," he said before she had a chance to protest him going alone. "I can make it. I'm just...out of it today. Sorry I scared you."

When neither looked convinced he reached into a pocket and flashed them his communicator. He took a test step forward, listening hard for anything. He took another and still heard silence. He supposed he should be happy about that but...

The Realians surrounding him made room for him to move as he assured them all that he would be fine. Jr. was careful not to push past them despite the fact that their presence was unnerving. Sakura's image wouldn't leave his mind.

"Shelley..." Mary said as she watched Jr. step onto the elevator.

"I know Mary," Shelley answered.

Mary leaned her head on her sister's shoulder and watched her little master disappear.

"I wanna follow him."

"He does not want us to," was her simple reply.

Mary lifted her head and sighed. If they followed him it would only make things worse. They could always check on him later and he did have his communicator with him.

"Do ya...think he'll take the medicine?"

It was a silly question. Shelley answered anyway.

"No."

* * *

Another chapter down. Sorry that it's short and Albedo-less. He'll show up next chapter.  
I always promise to update soon but my illness is extremely unpredictable so I won't promise. I will say that I am trying my hardest to get these chapters updated and that I'm not going to just leave it without finishing it. That'd suck. XD  
Again, thank you for you patience and I hope to update very soon!

Reviews are my muse so inspire it up people. C:


	10. Concede

A/N: Yes that's right everyone! I managed to update!  
I am happy to say that I am feeling much, much better and I totally cracked down on the writing. So here it is, almost 9,000 words of story. Yep, I do work.

Let me explain a little bit about this chapter before you get into it.

This chapter and the upcoming one used to be one chapter. I had to break it apart because it was so long. Seriously, I'm currently working on the other piece and it's got a good 5,000 words on it. Personally, I don't mind reading extremely long chapters. I just don't like posting extremely long chapters. I feel like it's too much information at once. Your poor brains!D: Besides, you all have lives. You can't waste your day sitting at your computer!  
This chapter's ending might be a little strange b/c of that. I tried to round it out but...meh. :/ You be the judge.

Look Albedo's here! Don't get too excited though, it's not a nightmare yet.  
Also, I've got to go ahead and warn you guys that this is the first time I've actually written Wilhelm. He only gets a short part in this chapter but I've tried to keep him as IC as possible.  
Oh, and while I'm at it, this site's document manager has been giving me problems so if anything seems out of place I'm totally sorry. Let me know and I'll try to fix it.

Warning: Wilhelm! D:  
Disclaimer: Xenosaga isn't mine. Go figure.

* * *

"_It really did hurt you deeply when you were told that what you were looking for was not your conversion, but a coffer for your miseries. In that way you would be able to carry on comfortably — but with a taste of bitter aloes — bearing that sorry load."  
- _Saint Josemaría Escrivá's _Furrow_

* * *

Abnormally Attracted To Sin  
Chapter 10  
Concede

"You wish to see him."

Smooth and monotone, Wilhelm's voice found Albedo in the dimly lit office. Albedo was silent in response. He didn't need to speak. He didn't need to say anything. What would be the point? Wilhelm already knew. Red eyes moved their line of vision from the Compass of Order and onto the White Testament. Albedo met his stare from behind his mask. Wilhelm smiled, a pale, placid thing, and closed his eyes; black amusement on porcelain skin.

"I'm almost surprised."

Wilhelm's smile resembled more of a sneer the longer Albedo watched it. Still he remained calm and quiet. There was no point in being affected by anything Wilhelm said or did. It wasn't going to change anything. So he stood in silence, hating the being in front of him, and waited for an answer.

"I don't normally receive requests."

Wilhelm opened his eyes and fixed his compass with a complacent stare. "He haunts you. I imagine it would be difficult to become so disconnected with him."

Albedo held back his annoyance. He could repair their severed link instantly if it weren't for Wilhelm's orders not to. Albedo hated that he had to follow orders. He hated that he had to ask permission. He hated that his destiny was held in the spinning of Wilhelm's compass and he hated how he could do nothing to change it. He didn't care about power or immortality the way Voyager did and he didn't want to revisit in the past the way Virgil did. He agreed for Rubedo. The mere mention of Yuriev's return had been all it took for him to agree. Albedo wasn't about to let someone as simple as Dmitri destroy his dragon. Even that hadn't been his decision. Wilhelm had known just as much as Albedo himself that Albedo would never deny his brother life.

But being so disconnected from his beloved brother was harder than he had originally thought. If he was to be obedient then he was going to have to receive some sort of compensation. Wilhelm hadn't been phased one bit by Albedo's request. He had seemed interested, intrigued even. Now he stood before fate himself, hating his predicament and waiting for an answer. He was going to see Rubedo. If he had to defy Wilhelm so be it.

They could do this the easy way or the hard way.

Wilhelm blinked white eyelashes and pushed himself up from his seat. He walked over to gaze out of the glass walls surrounding his office. Every motion he made was smooth and calm as if he had all the time in the world. And why shouldn't he? He had the universe on his desk, dancing to the spinning motion his compass predicted.

"You have served me well. It would be shameful of me to deny you such a simple request."

Wilhelm moved his head slightly towards the door behind Albedo. That was when he noticed Kevin. When he had arrived Albedo was unsure, but he was there, hovering just outside of his line of vision. An aura of unease emanated to the White Testament from Kevin. Albedo allowed himself to snicker at the feeling. What was he afraid of? He couldn't possibly be worried for Wilhelm's sake. Albedo needed to live long enough to protect Rubedo and wouldn't try something as foolish as attacking him. Even if he was to try something so stupid what would Lust do? Trying to kill him would be pointless. Albedo was just as immortal and just as powerful as Lust over there. Kevin liked to pretend he was stronger, more important than the others. Perhaps he was and Albedo was misjudging the power of Lust. Or maybe that was just what Wilhelm wanted Kevin to believe. Either way, Wilhelm didn't need his protection.

"Sir," Kevin announced, walking past Albedo to Wilhelm's desk.

He began to continue when Wilhelm interrupted.

"Kevin, what do you have planned for Albedo?"

Kevin's mask turned to Albedo for a quick moment then back to Wilhelm in confusion. That answered his question.

"There is a very pressing matter that will be demanding much of his attention. Give his tasks to Virgil or to Voyager."

Albedo was visibly surprised at Wilhelm's decision but he quickly corrected his body language. Kevin only nodded.

"Your gratitude astounds me," Wilhelm spoke, that black amusement again. "Unfortunately I cannot permit you to leave. There are rules."

Wilhelm turned his head to Albedo for confirmation.

Albedo had expected something like this but he wasn't going to submit without knowing the terms. He nodded for him to continue.

"I will let you have your fun," Wilhelm said, quietly, "Though your power must be restricted."

He turned to face the darkness beyond his window, placing his hands behind his back.

"You may contact him only through dreams. While awake you are not allowed near him but you may manipulate his perception. In his dreams his mind is yours. Do what you will with him but don't kill him."

Wilhelm gave a small chuckle here and shook his head, "No. I don't think that would be the desired outcome."

Contact with Rubedo every time he slept was much more than the small amount that he had originally asked for. Albedo kept waiting for the catch, the condition that would make him reject the offer Wilhelm was giving him.

"It goes without saying that he cannot know that you are alive. Not yet," Wilhelm glanced over at his precious compass. "And so in his sleep, you must appear as your past self. Whatever memory your brother holds of you will be the persona you will take."

There it was. Albedo knew already what Rubedo's memories of him were. Rubedo remembered a monster.

Wilhelm could sense Albedo's displeasure.

"You are not happy with these arrangements. But I have not finished explaining."

Wilhelm's eyes lingered on the compass as if confirming that what he was going to say would be something he could actually follow through with.

"I know the kind of love you have for your brother. I know the kind of love that you desire from him."

Kevin, who had went from slightly confused to completely lost in this conversation, jerked his mask to face Albedo's in disbelief. Albedo ignored him. He wasn't afraid to admit it and he dared Lust to judge him.

"If you are able, through his memories of you, to make him confess his love for you...Then you may reveal to him your true self."

Kevin took his disbelief off of Albedo and turned it on Wilhelm.

Wilhelm returned Kevin's expression with his own painted, porcelain version. He raised a white eyebrow towards the Red Testament, questioning if he had any protests to his decision.

What was sane of Albedo was screaming at him not to do it. It was telling him that it wasn't worth it. None of it was worth it. It told him to be patient. He could wait. And Albedo thought about it. He worked out all of the angles and weighed the pros and cons. If he went through with this, there was no telling the kind of affect it would have on Rubedo. He glanced up at Wilhelm's compass. Wilhelm had given him permission so whatever the outcome it could not have been too drastic. As impersonal as the immortal was, he wouldn't allow any more harm than necessary to Rubedo. He was too important and if Wilhelm wanted his plans to continue it was in his best interest to keep Rubedo alive. Maybe then, it would be ok. Maybe, in the restless spinning of that compass, Albedo pulled through. If he could, he'd have the rest of their immortal lives to make up for everything he'd ever done wrong. And for everything he was planning to do. How Albedo wished he could read the compass. If only for a moment. Just to make this decision.

"Your decision can be made whenever you like," Wilhelm said, a shrug in his voice. "Do know, however, that if you break any of these rules you will be forced to end this game. You will be forbidden from any contact with him and you will have scarred him for no reason."

Albedo nodded. He would be careful. He turned to leave when Wilhelm stopped him.

"Oh," Wilhelm said, "Keep in mind that if you harm him in his sleep he will sustain the injuries when he awakes."

Albedo hesitated once, but nodded in acknowledgement.

"It has been a long time since I've seen a good show. I look forward to your performance."

"Is there...something I need to be...informed on...sir?" Kevin asked, as Albedo vanished.

Wilhelm sighed, a tiny sound. "It is unimportant and tiresome to explain."

Red eyes focused their attention away from the Red Testament and onto the vast blackness outside of the Dämmerung.

"Her construction goes well."

"Yes. The proceedings are ahead of schedule. Are there any specifications or requests?"

Wilhelm shook his head.

"No. If it has begun...everything is moving smoothly."

Kevin paused, reluctant to ask. "Sir, Albedo's involvement-"

"There is no need to worry. It is only a game."

"A game?"

Wilhelm's lips curled up slightly into the subtle, painted smile that had taunted Albedo.

"A strange reenactment of Beauty and the Beast. Fitting Actors, don't you agree? Pull back the curtains and call them forth onto this stage. Their audience awaits."

* * *

Jr. didn't make it to his room. Instead he sat himself down on a bench in the Durandal's Residential Area. He didn't need to rest, he needed to think. He took a deep breath and leaned back against his seat.  
What had happened on the bridge...there was no way that had been an ordinary headache. And that sound…what could have possibly caused that sound? It wasn't the normal ringing that accompanied migraines. This pain had been different. It had been as if someone had been groping around inside of his mind. It had felt like a reversal of his spiritual link. From an end that shouldn't exist...not anymore. He must be going crazy. He'd smacked his head harder than anyone had thought and the bleeding in his skull was drowning his poor brain.

The nightmares and the hallucinations had to be part of the healing process. They'd disappear as soon as he was better. He could get through them. It wasn't like they were anything to worry about. The wounds he had sustained had to have been there since the accident. He'd just been so disoriented that he hadn't seen them. He wasn't crazy and he wasn't about to concede to insanity.

His lie had been so bad he was sure no one believed it. The people investigating weren't going to find anything or anyone. Jr. really hoped the doctor kept his mouth shut. He had plenty of other things to deal with at the moment. All of this stress wasn't helping him get any better that was for sure.

Exasperated, he bent over and placed his head in his hands. What a mess. He felt something press against his skin and pulled back. It was his medicine capsule. He was still holding it. He frowned at it. It was meant for the pain. It wasn't going to make the nightmares or the noises stop. It would probably make them worse if anything else. Jr. didn't have pain except for the times he was hallucinating anyway. If he took medicine and it made him drowsy then it was ultimately useless. This little capsule wasn't going to work. Still...he'd promised to take it. He thought about it, rolling the medicine back and forth across his palm. He felt a little silly when he thought about it. It was medicine. It wasn't going to rip him apart or cause him to explode. It helped. Medicine was supposed to help and it might, if he was truly sick. But…what if he wasn't? What if there was something more behind this? If Albedo had miraculously survived…Jr. shook the idea away. Albedo had been known to survive everything and anything that had tried to destroy him but there was no way he could have...

Could he?

Impossible had never held any meaning to Albedo before. Jr. hesitated. He needed to know. He needed to make sure. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to touch that part of his mind. Albedo, that bastard; even in death he wouldn't stop and if he was still alive...

Jr. must be going crazy.

It couldn't be healthy. No healthier than digging up a coffin to make sure a body still lie in it. He took a deep breath, steeled himself against whatever he might find and opened a connection. It was a weak one because he didn't want to attract Gaignun's attention and it was a slow process because Jr. himself wasn't sure that he wanted to find out the answer. In the end he came up with nothing; just a black empty spot where Albedo used to be. He wanted to be sure, so he pressed against the edges of his link as if he were going to force the connection. The process failed and caused a searing pain in his head. He gasped a little, disconnected immediately, and shook off the feeling.

What a stupid idea that had been. Jr. was apparently full of stupid ideas lately. Of course Albedo was dead. Of course he wasn't coming back and of course these past few days had been nothing but trauma induced hallucinations.

Jr. glanced back down at the capsule in his hand, running his free one through his red hair.

If Albedo had survived Jr. would have known by now. That psychopath had been stuck to him like glue his entire life. He should feel better about him being gone. He should feel relieved that he didn't have to worry about what his maniac twin was going to try next. He should be doing something productive. He should be getting back to work and he should be serving the Foundation as the director she deserved. He should be…

Enough! These delusions of his were pointless. It was time for a serious reality check. Jr. was waking up today and everything was going to slide back into place.

Punishing himself wasn't getting Jr. anywhere.

He really needed to get off the Durandal for a while. A walk around the Foundation sounded really good for some reason, despite the fact that Gaignun had stamped some sort of prohibition act on Jr.'s forehead. He knew where his little brother kept his alcohol and he wasn't above stealing it.

Jr. stood up and made his way to the transport as it slid to its stop. Employees filed in and out as Jr. walked towards the open doors. Jr. wasn't crazy. He just needed to relax for a little while. He really needed to straighten out the mess he had made too. Jr. paused for a moment outside of the transport and took one last look at the capsule in his hand before tossing it down into the shuttle's path.

The world was better off without Albedo anyway.

* * *

What gift he had been given, or was gift the correct word? Curse would be more appropriate. What should he expect after selling his soul to the devil? The decision was his alone, or that was what Wilhelm had told him. Albedo wondered how much truth there was in that. He wondered what that damn compass on Wilhelm's desk would have to say.

Albedo decided quickly that sanity was an annoying creation.

Wilhelm's Dämmerung was far behind him now. His footsteps echoed noisily off Michtam's crystalline floor instead, filling the lonely space with the incessant clicking of his boots. The only inhabitants of this forgotten planet wandered as aimlessly as he did; lost souls looking for purchase on polished ground. He ignored them as they ignored him. Neither cared that the other existed. Albedo wasn't human and he had no interest in pillars of salt. He liked it here despite the unseemly creatures. It was devoid of humanity and only the looming munitions of apocalypse resided in this forsaken fortress.

He assumed Voyager would be around. Greed had fond memories of Michtam but it was of the crumbling upper levels and not the cold crystalline heart where the White Testament was currently wandering.

He wanted to find some sort of abandoned area, one away from the brainless masses of consciousness skulking the halls. How could he think properly with them floating about like bloated actors flaunting their pitiful forms to a disparaging crowd? He followed paths were few Gnosis existed and continued until their diminishing numbers vanished completely.

Rubedo, Rubedo, Rubedo. What was Albedo to do about Rubedo?

_clink..._

His twin was constantly consuming his thoughts. Nothing else mattered.

_clink...clink..._

Then again when had anything else matter?

_clink...clink...clink..._

There had never been a time. Not in his entire life.

_Clink! clink...clink..._

Was his need to see Rubedo so bad? Was he so desperate that he would torment the little dragon until he broke?

_Clink!...Clink!_

Yes...Yes he was.

_Clink! Clink! Clink, clink..._

And break Rubedo he would.

_Clink...clink..._

Afterall, it would take an insane Rubedo to believe in a sane Albedo.

_CLINK!_

Albedo snapped out of his thoughts quickly and found that he'd walked into a piece of crystal. It stretched across his path like a barricade to keep him from going any farther. Curious, he looked up to find that it was from the ceiling. It must have fallen. Tiny shards of blue encircled it in mockery of the shape it once held. After a moment of staring at it, Albedo decided that the broken crystal could take his weight and he used it as makeshift bench as he plotted his brother's downfall.

Downfall…Albedo grinned. That was exactly what it would be. The White Testament wondered slightly if he would be able to return to his former maddened glory. If he was unable to mimic his old self, Wilhelm would end it all without a second thought. He should start out slow at first. If Rubedo's mind was Albedo's toy then perhaps he could drape himself in Rubedo's imaginings. It wouldn't take long for Albedo to regain himself.

Albedo tilted his head and brought his right hand to his face, hoping the hidden numbers might burn through with some kind of answer.  
That was the point or so he assumed. Rubedo would have to love the beast first. It would be difficult, even Albedo was not sure of how he would do this. He could simply stop if he thought Rubedo was in true danger. But…how easy would it be to stop? What if Rubedo's image of him became some sort of narcotic? Something Albedo couldn't escape even in Testament form? Sinking into insanity wasn't something he wanted to revisit if he won Rubedo's acceptance. Not entirely.

He was frustrating himself. Nothing had ever stopped him before. Albedo obtained what he wanted, when he wanted, whenever he wanted it. If he wanted Rubedo then what should stop him?

Nothing.

Teleportation was a silent method and Albedo wouldn't have noticed the intruder if not for Michtam's floor alerting him to the footsteps. The crystals shrieked under the power of his weight as the trespasser stomped over to Albedo.

"So he gave you special permission, huh?"

Virgil. Albedo was a little surprised that the blue testament would care enough to find him. The footsteps behind Albedo paused for a moment.

"So what," the addict spat. Albedo knew Virgil wanted a reaction, but the White Testament didn't feel like playing today.

"You get some special treatment for making your path back to him? You somehow get a level of respect for doing absolutely nothing except tormenting him? For following your own selfish desires?"

Special treatment...malediction in the guise of a largesse wasn't exactly what Albedo would call 'special treatment'. At least not when he had to sacrifice what he had become to regain something he once was. Yes he was selfish. Albedo had never said that he was going to be fair. His love was a selfish one and it always had been.

"You're no better than us." Virgil's voice continued, trying to pull Albedo's focus away from his brother and onto him.

Gluttony was quick to anger and seemed constantly in need of a fight. It tickled Albedo and he'd usually entertain him but his presence was annoying at this particular moment. His twin was the most important thing right now and he needed to make a decision. If Albedo was going to do this he would have to do it right. If Albedo was going to risk this it had better be worth it. If Albedo was going to do this he'd have to make sure that he made it through. He'd better be ready for any consequence and he'd better be ready for him; Rubedo was stubborn and he wasn't going down easily.

Aggravated, the addict threw a small tantrum and knocked Albedo's hand out of his line of vision.

How rude.

"You have something to say?"

Why yes, yes he did. Albedo grinned, the wicked way that had once been his signature. He could do this. He would do this. He would accomplish exactly what he needed to and he would do it without fail. There was no other way. He needed Rubedo and he'd be damned if he didn't get him.  
Sanity could scream and fight and protest all it wanted but Albedo...well, he'd never been completely sane to begin with.

A quiet laugh escaped him at the thought. Had there ever been any other answer?

Done with his brooding and ready for the theatre Wilhelm had prepared for him, he turned up to meet the gaze threatening to sear through Virgil's mask.

"I like it better when I can see your face, Addict. The scars of gluttony are agonizingly beautiful."

* * *

Synthetic air hit him hard. Relief washed over him the minute he was on Foundation ground. It was a little overwhelming and Jr. suddenly wondered slightly if he hadn't needed that medicine after all. It had been dark when Jr. made it off the shuttle. He was surprised at first by how late it was but decided not to try and recount his day in order to find lost time. It was around 11 o' clock right now and that's all that mattered.

By now Jr. would be at the Iron Man drinking grown men under the table and buying everyone shots until he finally allowed chaos to drag him home. It was what he should have been doing and something he really needed to do to unwind. Unfortunately, because of Gaignun's penchant for keeping him sober, no one would give him any alcohol. With a heavy sigh he decided to skip that district all together. He'd get in a hover car and just ride around in it for a while. He couldn't think of anywhere specific he wanted to be. If he saw something that caught his attention then maybe he'd get out and walk.

It didn't take him long to find a hover car and it took even less time to program it. Auto pilot tonight. Jr. didn't plan on operating it manually this time. He'd learned his lesson...for now. He planned a route that circled the whole Foundation. He'd had no real destination anyway. It might be relaxing to ride around and perhaps better for him than returning to his room. Jr. finished the last bit of coordinates and leaned back as the craft began to make its route.

The vehicle Jr. sat in was nothing like supped up thing he had acquired the last time. While that one had been modified for speed, this one was for comfort. Its interior mirrored the limo he had ridden in during his chase on Second Miltia. The size was half that of the previous car however, and the front was more rounded, mimicking the shape of a pentagon rather than one of a rectangle. The black interior cast the car's insides into almost complete darkness with the help of the Foundation's night cycle. The neon blue of the control panel was the only lighting. Jr. sank back into the plush seat and leaned his head against a window.

The machine ran smoothly over Foundation streets, weaving in and out of traffic when its sensors signaled clear of any other craft. It was cool and quiet lights illuminated the night and filtered their way through the windows, occasionally running across the dark seats or flashing over Jr.'s form. He'd always loved it here at night. The Foundation was just as restless as its Little Master.

Jr. couldn't help himself. The peaceful atmosphere along with the comfort of his seat was betraying him. He wasn't sure if he was fighting sleep to prevent nightmares or fighting simply for the sake of fighting it. He'd practically spent the last week asleep; shouldn't he stay awake a little longer? It made him feel lazy despite the fact that he "needed" the rest that was so stealthily trying to claim him. He rubbed his hands across his face and pushed forward a little. He should get out and start walking now but he was loath to leave the comfort of his hovercraft. A quick look out of his window told him that he was in the middle of a freeway and couldn't get out quite yet. He shrugged and glanced over at the control panel. Point 4578, passing Sector 62. By now most of the Foundation had been rebuilt. There were a few sectors that remained abandoned or in disuse however. Jr. planned to completely rebuild deserted sectors and there was a flooding of paperwork; people requesting, buying, selling old pieces of property. Jr. had personally selected a few sectors to be specifically built as residential sectors and 62 had been one of them. It was the first time Jr. had been by the sector since the Gnosis attack and he was happy to see the nearly completed construction work. A day or two more and it would be finished. Sectors 70 through 80 had been slated for complete reconstruction but that wouldn't start until the completion of residential sectors. The thought made Jr. curious and he ran his fingers over the control panel, commanding the hover car to travel down the abandoned sectors.

It would take another forty-five minutes to get there and Jr. decided he needed something to keep himself awake. He played with the buttons until he found the radio. Jr. hesitated for a moment, that phantom sound running through his mind again, but shrugged it off. It was just music. He connected to the UMN and flipped through stations until he found something. Jr. had always been a fan of classical music and was happy to find a station that was playing it. As he leaned back into his seat again he started wondering if it would make him fall asleep instead of keep him awake. He decided that he was too lazy to try and change it. He pressed his head against the window again and tried to keep his eyes open. He couldn't fight it much longer, he was simply too tired. Just as his mind was about to wander down a path he'd been fighting to stay off all day, the music caught his attention.

He'd heard it before. Jr. sat up a little straighter and shook his mind clear of sleep. It was lively and vibrant, awakened him immediately to its sound. There was something about this song. Had he heard it before? He turned it up, trying to discern just what it was about this music. It wasn't classical; at least he wasn't sure it was. Ancient yes, it was from the Lost Jerusalem era, but it didn't sound classical... Jr. frowned. What was it that was bugging him about this song? After listening to a few more measures he was sure he'd heard it before. There was a small panel that he could press beside the radio and it would tell him everything he needed to know about it. He started to reach for it but stopped. No, he'd heard it before. He could figure it out. He needed something to keep him awake anyway.

The song was halfway over and Jr. still couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was the composition that sounded familiar? He tapped his hand against the dashboard, making a mental list of all the composers he could think of. Nothing. He let out a groan. What was it? His patience finally ran out and he pressed the button. A small screen appeared from the panel with the current song's information typed across it.

**_Song: Libertango  
Composer: Ástor Piazzolla  
Genre: Classical Tango/Tango Nuevo  
Composed during the Lost Jerusalem era, exact century unknown._**

Ástor Piazzolla. _Piazzolla_. 'You've got to be kidding me,' Jr. thought to himself. Reflex kicked in and Jr. immediately changed the song almost without realizing it. Music from the next station poured out of the speakers toward him and Jr. watched the information on the screen change along with the station.

**_Song: Oblivion  
Composer: Ástor Piazzolla  
Genre: Classical  
Composed during the Lost Jerusalem era, exact century unknown._**

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Jr. growled. He slammed down on the button; forcing it to jump three stations from the one Jr. had been on. Still, it was the same thing everywhere. _Piazzolla_. No matter what station Jr. was on it was always _Piazzolla._ The guy's music wouldn't stop; Soledad, Adiós Nonino, Summit, Cumparista, Cholco! Every station, every time he pressed the button that name would pop up. Finally in a fit of rage, he disconnected the whole damn radio. The good, calm, relaxed feeling he had felt earlier had completely vanished. In its place paranoia reawakened and Jr. glared at the panel, out the windows, to the empty passenger seat beside him.

'It's just a coincidence,' he tried to tell himself. 'Albedo's dead. You know that.'

Jr. stopped the car, not caring anymore where he was. Walking would have been a better idea.

He half expected something to grab him the minute he stepped out of the car. He expected Albedo himself to be standing out there, ready to pull him into some sort of sadistic depravity. It proved to only be his paranoia. Nothing jumped for Jr. or materialized out of the darkness to drag him into some twisted other world. The abandoned sector was just that, abandoned. No one was there.

The area had been devastated by the Gnosis attack. The empty buildings were charred and blackened by fires, causing the structures of most buildings to fall in on themselves. Jr. leaned back against the outside of his hover car. The unsettling thought that this was perhaps his nightmare world flashed through his mind. After a moment of deliberation he decided that it wasn't. The image of his wounded Foundation was a bit grounding. This night was not turning out the way he had wanted it to. He needed a serious dose of alcohol. He'd raid Gaignun's later; he was here so he might as well look around a bit.

The sector Jr. walked wasn't completely unrecognizable. Most of the buildings had survived enough to continue standing. Some buildings were even illuminated by the flickering of light fighting to stay bright. This was real. The devastation the Foundation had felt was real. All of the nightmares, the black outs, the strange noises were all in his head. Finding comfort in destruction wasn't exactly what he had planned either but it was working. Jr. wanted to think of it as a chance for rebirth instead of a gravesite. A little positive thinking truly never hurt.

Jr. felt his paranoia start to slip away as he explored the sector's buildings. His eyes grazed the names of shops and restaurants and he even walked inside a few if it wasn't too dark inside. This sector was a small one and Jr. found himself at the end of before he even realized it. He shrugged at the thought and checked the time. It was one-thirty. He should probably get back if he wanted to get enough sleep before work. He turned and made his way back to the hover car. As he approached, he noticed a small light shining out of the darkness not too far from his car. He didn't remember it being there before. Then again, he'd been a little preoccupied at that moment. The closer he got the more his curiosity built. It wasn't the flickering half-lights of the dilapidated sector but a strong stream, welcoming people to it as if it were open for business. Jr. passed the hover car and continued forward. It seemed to be a building, the outline of it finally taking shape as he grew closer. No, it wasn't a church, it was a cathedral. Finally he reached it, the light giving him the full view of the structure in front of him.

"Whoa," Jr. whispered in awe.

The ecclesiastical edifice towered over him, its spires and towers obscured by the darkness. The entrance was square in shape, the edges of the top making sharp point and disappearing along with the true height of the building. Light poured out of the intricate rose window above the stone doors and through the giant stained glass ones aligning its sides. It was small for a cathedral; a miniature compared to the ones built on Lost Jerusalem but was outstandingly accurate, considering. Jr. found himself hurrying up the hard steps to inspect the grey stone it seemed to be composed of.

Jr. himself had never been a particularly religious man. Being a bio weapon, a clone created solely for destruction, he wasn't entirely sure if something like a god were to exist. Nothing benevolent anyway, that was for sure. The thought sparked his memories of Miltia and of the Yuriev Institute and of his father's undying fear. U-DO existed, whatever the hell that thing was, it existed and that was all Jr. needed.

That being said, his love for Lost Jerusalem had given him plenty of knowledge on the topic. Lost Jerusalem's history was riddled with religion; it was an inescapable presence, an ideal that had been carried on to the present. Not that he minded, it was interesting even if he didn't believe in it. So he marveled at the building and at the flawless delicacy in its creation. His eyes fell across the windows and the large, intricate carving on the doors. He ran a hand down the stone. 'Limestone', he thought, 'Rare.'  
He was admiring the material of the church when his eyes found a plaque just outside the intricate lines of the doors. It was gray, camouflaging itself in its surroundings. The smooth, black lettering was visible under the streams of light and Jr. leaned closer to read it.

Nil Desperandum.  
Non veniam quearo, sed ultionem.  
Kyrie, Ignis Divine, elesion!  
Meum est vindicare!

Jr. stared at it for a moment. Latin wasn't a language he used often but he recognized some of the words. He squinted as if doing so would morph the words into a language he could understand. Nil desperandum meant do not despair, he knew that much. Ignis mean fire, divine meant, well, divine...  
He shrugged. He couldn't read it and he wasn't going to magically be able to. He took a few steps back in an attempt to take the structure in all at once. It was impressive. He didn't know many cathedrals so accurate and who would have known that he would have found it in such a devastated area? It was strange that this place hadn't been touched by the Gnosis.

Come to think of it, Jr. didn't remember this cathedral being here. He leaned his head back and stared at the sight before him. Jr. would have remembered something this magnificent being built, especially in a district that hadn't been constructed in Lost Jerusalem's image.  
Unease slithered into him and he considered leaving. There was no way this cathedral could be real. There was absolutely no way that Jr. could've missed this church. He had been a little disoriented lately but not long enough for this to have been completed. He took a few backward steps from the edifice.

Was he overreacting again? Jr. studied the cathedral once more, hard. It didn't seem natural, not with all of this debris and destruction around it. The building's pristine condition and its powerful illumination were more eerie than the crushed sector beside it with all of its flickering warning lights. It was bait, a trap, something to lure him to it. This place was no sanctuary just as his room was no sanatorium. And even though Jr. knew already, even though he had told himself numerous times, even though he had insisted again and again that it was impossible, he couldn't keep himself from believing...

"Albedo."

Jr. snapped himself from his thoughts and pushed himself forward to the doors. He took a moment to steady himself before placing his hands against the doors. He wouldn't run away. He had to prove to himself that it was impossible. It couldn't be true. If Albedo was back there then...then...  
He began to push against the doors, his weight pushing the stone easier than he had expected. The weight distribution had been a little awkward and had only pressed them open a little, leaving the inside a secret from him. He readied himself again and started to push-

"Little Master!"

The horribly loud zoom of a hovercraft and the shouting that accompanied it caused Jr. to spin around toward the road. An out of control hover bike raced down the road at a speed that had even Jr. taken aback. Its rider was discernable from Jr.'s spot on the cathedral steps and he doubted he would have recognized him at that speed anyhow. The bike was out of control and made jagged zigzags from one side of the road to the other, taking out signs and pieces of broken buildings with it. The driver didn't seem to mind. He shouted his excitement as loud as he could, steering something that shouldn't be manually steered. Of course, it didn't take long for the crazed driver to lose complete control. The hover bike caught something it couldn't drag and ended up flipping over, sending its driver flying into an a hole torn out of one of the buildings.

Jr. jumped off the stairs, his worries centered on something else, and took off for the idiot driver, cursing the entire way. The hover bike continued its noise, spluttering and trying to get itself upright again. The moronic driver was nowhere to be found so Jr. ran into the building to search for him. The hole the man had flown through covered both the first and second floors of the building. Jr. could see that he wasn't on the bottom floor and scrambled up the stairs to find him. After a stunt like that Jr., wondered if he'd still be alive. He hadn't smashed into the building, so he had a good chance. It would serve the bastard right if he was unconscious after doing something so fucking ridiculous. It took Jr. a minute to find the door the man was behind. The door wouldn't slide open but Jr. found a weak wall and forced himself through.

"Hey!" Jr. yelled, trying to find him in the rubble-filled room. "Can you hear me? Where are you?"

A muffled voice answered him and Jr. swung his line of vision towards it. The man was trying to crawl out from under the pile of ruined building he'd been thrown under. Jr. wasted no time in helping him out from under it, ripping piles of debris away to find the body beneath it. He was a young man, probably mid-twenties, and he seemed to be fine despite the fact that he was absolutely wasted. He smelled of pure liquor and once Jr. had gotten him out from under the mess, he started laughing victoriously.

"Little Master!" The man laughed as Jr. freed him from the wreckage. "Little Master, did you see that?"

"Yeah I saw it, idiot!" Jr. hissed, more than a little pissed off and just a tiny bit envious of his inebriated state. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I was thinking...Hah! I don't know what I was thinking!"

Jr. growled and pulled at the man's helmet. He might arrest this guy if his head wasn't smashed up bad enough to send him to the hospital first. Hazel brown eyes stared at him from behind the circular frames of glasses. Blonde hair had been matted by the helmet and fell over the man's eyes. He let out another bout of laughter as his helmet was removed.

"Hammer?" Jr. was shocked. He'd known Hammer to get drunk but never this drunk. "What the hell?"

"Hey, hey don't you worry Lit-lit-Little Master! I can drive back, watch!"

Jr. watched as Hammer tried to pull himself up only to fall back down. Jr. sighed and shook his head.

"Hammer, what are you doing out here and why were you steering that thing manually so drunk?"

"I'm not drunk, Little Master," Hammer said, seemingly offended by the statement. He swayed a little and tried to push himself back up.

"You're not, huh?"

"No, no, waaatch...this!"

Hammer flung himself to his feet and made a lunge for the open wall of the falling structure. Jr. was faster and caught one of his legs before he could make it. Hammer hit the floor on his stomach with a loud groan.

"Well you sure as hell proved me wrong."

Hammer nodded to him, a little dazed and breathless from his hard fall. Something outside caught his attention and the navigator started waving his arms out of the hole. Jr. shook his head again and began to drag Hammer a safer distance from the hole when Hammer shouted, "Tony! Tonyyyyyy! Toh-nyyy!"

"Tony?" Jr. released Hammer and leaned over to look outside himself.

"Hammer you motherfucking bastard! I'm going to kill you! Look what you did to my bike!"

Tony stood beside his dead hover bike, shaking a fist upwards at the flailing navigator.

"Look what your bhike did to me!" Hammer shouted back.

"I wish it would have killed you!" came the angry reply.

Tony made to walk closer to the gigantic hole in order to more properly threaten Hammer. As he took a few steps closer he saw Jr. leaning peeking around one of the walls.

"Little Master? Is that you up there?"

"Yeah, what the hell is going on here?"

"That idiot," Tony shouted, pointing an accusing finger toward the drunken navigator. "Got drunk and took off on my bike!"

"No!" Hammer defended. He leaned out of the hole, his upper body hanging out dangerously. "I got drunk and to-hok off on his blike!"

Hammer blinked for a moment, trying to think about what he had just said.

"Whatever!" Jr. yelled, clearly frustrated. "Just get up here and help me get him home before he tries to kill himself!"

Tony grumbled a few things under his breath but obeyed. Jr. pulled Hammer farther away from the hole before the drunken man could try to fling himself out of it again. He turned around when he heard Tony stumbling over the rubble.

"We're over here!" Jr. shouted.

Tony bumped into something else before finding the wall Jr. had forced himself through. He walked over to them and stared down at Hammer menacingly.

"Come on, Tony," Jr. pressed, gesturing to Hammer. "You've got to carry him, I can't."

Tony reluctantly bent down and lifted Hammer over his shoulder. Hammer squirmed for a moment but silenced himself after a few harsh words from Jr. The three made their way down the rotting steps and back onto the sector's streets. Tony looked back at his busted bike and sighed.

"Man, and I just bought the thing two weeks ago."

Jr. shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Help me get this guy back to the Elsa and I'll buy you another one."

Tony nodded and grumbled a thank you, adjusting Hammer's weight on his shoulder. Hammer seemed to be dazed. He was quiet the entire walk back to the hover car. Occasionally he would get the urge to poke at Tony's spine but other than that he was still.

"How did that happen?" Jr. asked, pointing to the limp body on Tony's shoulder.

Tony shrugged. "Went out drinking and he got smashed."

"But Hammer? I'd expect something like that from you, not him. chaos always has to bring you back after a binge."

"Yeah well..."

"Don't tell me that he forbade you from drinking or something," Jr. snickered.

"It's not like that! I just thought he'd like a break from it, that's all. Hammer thought he'd try to out drink me and then he flipped out." Tony adjusted Hammer's weight. "Besides, he's got his hands full dealing with Professor right now, and if you don't stop poking me Hammer I'm going to drop you!"

"Professor? Why?"

"Something about Scott."

"They get in another fight?"

"Something like that," Tony said with another shrug.

They weren't far from the hover car and Tony sped up a little, hoping to viciously drop Hammer onto the seats and get home. Jr. wasn't in such a hurry, however. His attentions were centered not on the car, but on the lights a few feet away. It were as if the cathedral was calling him, flooding the steps below its doors with a warm yellow glow. It was trying to trap him again, begging him back to the doors he'd only pressed against.

"Little Master?"

"Hm?" Jr. asked, snapping himself out of his trance and turning to face Tony.

"I asked what you were doing out here so late."

"Oh, uh...nothing. Riding around..."

His eyes moved almost immediately back to the cathedral. There was something wrong here, he could feel it. There was something behind those doors, waiting for him. Tony followed Jr.'s line of vision as he rounded the hover car to the passenger's side.

"See something, Little Master?"

Could he not see it? Jr. wasn't going to take the chance of asking. Instead he shook his head.

"Nah, it's nothing. Let's get back to the Durandal."

Jr.'s vision lingered on the abbey a little longer before he forced himself to look away. He opened the doors and slid inside, breathing a sigh of relief that he was getting out of this place. Tony stared curiously in the direction Jr. had been earlier. Hammer, still silently enjoying the alcohol buzzing through his system, forgot about the pilot's earlier threat. One small jab was all it took for Tony to keep his promise and drop Hammer onto the hard ground beneath them.

"Idiot."

* * *

A/N:

Do not despair  
It is not forgiveness but vengence I seek  
Oh lord, fire divine, have mercy!  
It is my duty to punish.

How many of you thought I wasn't going to give you that translation? Unlike my French (I butcher that language like no other), I actually kind of know some Latin and am pretty sure that this is correct. _Pretty_ sure. It's been a while. It's a lot closer than my French will ever be!

For any of you pointing fingers at it, the words "kyrie" and "elesion" are both Greek instead of Latin. Despite that, they're used in many (I'm afraid to say all) Latin Catholic Masses. Strange, I know, and I'm not even entirely sure how they ended up being used in a Latin mass, but I included them b/c they are more common than not. In complete Latin, I think is "Domine, Ignis Divine! Miserere!"  
But I personally like Kyrie elesion better anyway. Meh.

It's finally done! I thought I'd never get finished with it. It gave me a tough time in certain spots so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it didn't come out bad. I'm sorry that I was unable to compact the next chapter into this one. I tried, I really did, but it just didn't work. It should be up within the next two weeks since it's already so close to completion.

Well I hope you all enjoyed it. C:  
Reviews are my muse so inspire it up, people!


	11. Metronome

A/N: I'm on time? Seriously? I knew I could do it. I think this is the first time I've actually updated when I said I would. That's so great. Now you don't have to wait. Here is the rest of the last chapter...or I guess now it's its own chapter...yeah...

There is a little bit of humor in here. I just can't help myself. Things are about to get pretty dark and we need that little bit of light every now and then. That's how I feel about it anyway but you really can't trust anything I say. I change my plans every few seconds. XD  
We've got some friendly interaction from chaos and some not so friendly interaction from Virgil so maybe some of it will be fun.

Well I'll stop talking and let you get on with it.

Warning: No Wilhelm! D:  
Disclaimer: Xenosaga doesn't belong to me.

* * *

_The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon. We can only lie to ourselves for so long._ -Meredith Grey

* * *

Abnormally Attracted to Sin  
Chapter 11  
Metronome

"Professor," chaos said softly, trying to calm the elderly man down.

The professor wasn't having it.

"Professor, I don't know where Scott is."

"Of course you do! All of you young whippersnappers take up for one another! I demand to know this very instant where he is!"

chaos sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair. He'd been trying for the past two hours to convince the professor that he had absolutely no idea where Scott was. The two had apparently gotten into a fight earlier over Erde Kaiser and the assistant had apparently walked off. That didn't surprise chaos, really. Professor was a stubborn man and wanted things his way. Scott's leaving wasn't something he wanted and there was no telling what kind of havoc Professor would wreak if chaos wasn't acting as a buffer between him and the lab's door. chaos had originally tried to keep Professor from the door until Scott came back but it seemed that the assistant needed more time away than he had originally hoped. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Scott didn't come back.

"Professor, please calm down. I'm sure that Scott will return soon-"

His sentence was cut short by the sound of the lab doors sliding open. chaos spun around, hoping that the young assistant would come in and end the professor's tirade. The opening doors didn't reveal the assistant chaos had been looking for and instead of Scott, Tony and Jr. walked in. Disappointment filled him at the sight of them. He got over it quickly, finding relief in the fact that he wouldn't be alone with Professor anymore. He smiled at them and tried to hide his tiredness as best he could.

"Tony, Jr., what are you two doing here?" He greeted, walking over to meet them.

"Wow chaos, you look like shit," Jr. observed, he looked past his friend to the elderly man behind him.

"What have you been doing to him, Professor?"

"Yeah, you alright chaos?" Tony asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," chaos nodded, motioning over to the professor. "Professor seems to be having a tough time though."

Professor seemed completely unfazed by the new additions to the lab and immediately started in on them.

"You two! Over there! Where is Assistant Scott?"

Tony and Jr. exchanged quick glances before shrugging.

"I haven't seen him," Jr. answered.

"The only people I've seen tonight are the Little Master and Hammer."

"Bah!" The professor shouted, picking up a tool and shaking it viciously.

"Professor, put that down..." chaos started, preparing to catch the object should he decide to throw it.

"He throws his little tantrum and leaves the room! I can't complete this without an assistant! Bring me Assistant #2!"

"Sounds like you're the one throwing the tantrum," Jr. muttered. chaos bumped into Jr., letting him know that his comment wasn't helping anything.

"Uh...Professor, Allen isn't here anymore," Tony said.

"What? Now where has he run off to?"

"Professor, Allen wasn't an employee of the ship," chaos explained. "He works for Vector's First R&D division. He and Shion went back to work a long time ago."

Professor seemed to be getting more and more flustered by the moment. He set his tool down and began toward the lab doors.

"Professor, I'm sure Scott will come back soon. He just needs some time to himself. You know he always comes back. Can't you wait until he does?" chaos persuaded, trying to keep the world safe from the eccentric professor.

"Yeah, chill out Professor," Jr. said, "He'll come back."

Professor seemed to consider it for a moment, stopping half-way on his journey to the doors. "Fine, but I require a replacement. Bring me Assistant #3!"

"Who is Assistant #3?" Jr. asked, already exasperated with the situation. How chaos had managed to deal with the man this long was beyond him.

"He means KOS-MOS," chaos answered.

"KOS-MOS?" Jr. shouted, "Oh fuck, no way Professor! The last time she was your 'assistant' she blew holes all over the Elsa and my Durandal! Even if she was here you wouldn't be getting her back!"

Professor didn't appreciate Jr.'s outburst and marched over to the variant.

"Young man, did anyone ever teach you to speak to your elders? What a rude child!"

Oh god. chaos stepped between Professor and Jr., acting as a buffer to now protect Professor from the red dragon.

"Professor," chaos said quickly, "This is Jr., you remember Jr."

"Of course I remember this boy! I remember that he curses like a sailor and that he's the rudest child I've ever met."

"I'm not a child you old lunatic!" Jr. shouted from behind chaos. "I'm your boss!"

That caught the professor's attention. The elderly scientist stared a Jr. for a moment. The professor took a few steps closer to chaos and bent down to get a better look at Jr.

"Strange," Professor said, rubbing his chin. "What about that Captain Matthews?"

"I'm _his_ boss!"

Confusion twisted the Professor's face as he shook his head. "I remember you being much taller. Did you shrink? Perhaps you dyed your hair?"

"You're thinking of Master Gaignun, Professor," Tony answered, "This is his son."

Professor pulled himself upright and nodded. "That is right. Your father is my boss not you, boy."

"Jr. is our boss too, Professor," chaos added urgently, pushing Jr. farther behind him. "You could get fired for talking like that."

"Fired? I don't even remember hiring this idiot! One minute he's got me looking for 'dream fragments' and the next he's on the Elsa!"

Professor waved the matter off, returning to the occurrence that had him upset before. "Enough! This experiment must be completed tonight! I require an assistant so you will either find Assistant Scott, return an old assistant, or become an assistant!"

"Professor," chaos begged, "Can't it wait? Just until tomorrow? It's getting late."

The professor wouldn't take no for an answer. Tony and chaos tried to convince him but he ignored them. Jr. was tired of arguing. For the first time in days he wanted to sleep. He would've left already if it weren't for chaos. He looked exhausted and Jr. wondered how long he'd been trying to save the world from Professor. Tony and chaos were still at it. Jr. was about to join the club when the doors to the lab opened. Everyone turned their heads, hoping to see Scott walk into the lab and rescue them all from this situation.

"Hammer what are you doing here? I thought I left you in the cabin!" Tony yelled, walking over to the not-quite sober navigator.

Hammer frowned and pointed a finger at him. "Hey! Shut up! Effryone's down here! I wanna be down here too!"

The navigator swung his head to chaos and smiled. "chaos! I've been lookin' effrywhere for you!"

Hammer ran to chaos and threw his arms around the boy in a lazy hug.

"Hammer?" chaos chuckled, patting his back awkwardly, "I'm very happy to see you too...?"

Tony growled and pulled the drunken man off of him. "Dude, back off!"

"Hey Hammer, what are doing?" Jr. laughed, "You already screwed up his bike, touch chaos again and he might kill you."

Hammer blinked down at Jr. and nodded. "Oh! Alright, Little Master, I'll keep it a secret." Hammer brought a hand to his lips and nodded.

"What?" Jr. laughed again, glancing over at chaos. "He's really messed up."

Professor let out a frustrated noise, regaining everyone's attention. "Young man! Have you seen Assistant Scott?"

Hammer looked curiously at the professor and nodded.

"Seriously?" Tony asked, doubtful.

Hammer nodded furiously at Tony's tone and glared at him.

"Well where is he?"

Hammer thought about it for a moment. He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, as if trying to remember. After a few seconds of thought he shrugged his shoulders. "He's always in the lab with Professor."

Tony's palm smacked against his forehead.

"Hello! Foundation to Hammer!" Jr. shouted.

"Hammer, let's get you back to the cabin," chaos sighed, walking over to him.

"None of you will leave until I have my assistant!" Professor shouted.

"Professor, all night with this shit!" Jr. shouted back. He was tired, irritated, and wanted to get the fuck out of this lab as soon as possible. Professor was serious and there was no way any of them were getting out any time soon. Not until Scott returned. chaos was trying to talk their way out of the lab but it wasn't working. Jr. decided to think of another way. Whatever it was it would have to make the professor happy, or at least got his mind off of Scott. He looked over at the Elsa's drunken navigator and found the idea he was looking for.

"Hey Hammer," Jr. started, "You know what?"

Hammer looked down at Jr. and shook his head.

"Professor can't find Scott and he really, really needs an assistant. You're good at helping people with machines, right?"

A brilliant smile broke out across Hammer's face and he nodded excitedly.

"Jr., you didn't..." chaos whispered.

"Shut up, chaos!" Jr. whispered back. "Scott's not coming back and we need to get out of here. The way he's acting, he won't remember anything anyway."

"I'll help you professor!" Hammer exclaimed, running over to the scientist. "I built an entire AGWS from scrap material and I've rejected numerous offers from Vector themselves! I'm waay too good for them!"

Professor turned to Hammer. He stared at the young navigator for a moment, assessing him. His assessment was interrupted when Tony grabbed Hammer by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Are you stupid or something? You'll never get out of here if you become an assistant! Remember what happened to Allen?"

Hammer nodded, a serious expression on his face. He faced Professor again, expected to retract his previous offer.

"Tony wants to be an assistant too!" He exclaimed instead, pointing to the man behind him.

"I what?"

"Fantastic! I've been in need of a pilot for just this experiment! Both of you, come with me!"

"Hey wait! I didn't agree to-"

"Silence! Assistant #4! Bring Assistant #5 over here please!"

"Wha-hey! Wait, I-"

But Hammer was already dragging Tony to Professor.

"Oh no, Jr., we can't just leave them," chaos said, making his way over to help his crew. He didn't get very far because Jr. grabbed his arm and began tugging him toward the exit.

"chaos, come on! You've been babysitting Professor Lunatic all day. Escape while you've got the chance!"

Jr. could see how distressed chaos was about it, torn between rest and a raving professor. He'd been dealing with the professor all day and obviously didn't want anyone else to have to go through the same exhausting thing. But he was spent, and it didn't take much more to coax the boy out of the door and away from the lab.

* * *

"Doesn't he have anything better to do?" Virgil complained, leaning against one of Michtam's crystal walls. "He just can't wait for him to show up."

Albedo shrugged a little, not really paying attention to Virgil's petulance. The motion was enough. Virgil kept his focus on the Black Testament instead of the White one.

"What's he going to do when he gets here? Does he think that if brings him back to this place he'll just forget about the fact that the guy murdered his entire family?"

"Greed does not wish for him to forget."

"Huh. How does he plan on getting him in bed then?"

That sentence surprised Albedo a bit. His eyes never wavered from Rubedo's form and his voice didn't give away his disbelief as he responded.

"He does not wish to 'bed' the cyborg. It is his companionship he desires."

He heard Virgil's snicker, "Yeah sure, a companion. More like a cyberonic fuck toy."

Albedo shook his head, "No, a companion."

Virgil gave him a dissenting look. "Yeah? That what you want the kid for? A _companion_? Give me a break."

Virgil pushed himself from the wall and walked the few steps that separated him from Albedo. Albedo's gaze never lifted, glued on the crystalline image of his brother. Albedo wanted to appear like nothing could bring him out of the trance Jr. had over him. Snapping him out of his calm, apathetic casing was always so satisfying. Virgil walked around him and the crystal he sat upon to look over his shoulder to the image displaying on the floor.

"Hell, if I'd known there were going to be so many faggots here I would've laid a few-"

He'd anticipated Albedo's snapping before Albedo had made the motion. Virgil easily sidestepped Albedo's punch and grabbed hold of his arm, twisting it behind his back. He grinned at the Testament as he forced him down onto his knees.

"Weren't expecting that? What's wrong? You've gone all soft and predictable on me. You've been spending too much time jerking off to that prepubescent brother of yours."

Albedo teleported, freeing himself from Virgil's grasp. He was so surprised by the vanishing act that he didn't have to register what had happened before Albedo was behind him, arm around his neck, choking him. Virgil made to swing his arm around but Albedo caught it and with one powerful yank, he ripped the limb from his body. Virgil didn't have time to scream or make any other noise before Albedo brought up his arm and snapped his neck. Virgil's body went limp and Albedo dropped him to the floor. A Testament's body was an indestructible thing and Virgil's began involuntarily healing itself immediately. A new arm grew from his shoulder and the bones in his neck started rearranging themselves. Albedo's attack didn't end there however and Virgil felt the Testament on his back. Virgil prepared himself for another blow but it didn't come. It wasn't until Virgil's bones were completely healed that he felt Albedo's fist smash against them, shattering them into tiny pieces again. Virgil hadn't yet recovered from the pain of the last attack and the new pain that shot through him kept him from concentrating enough to escape. And so it continued, Virgil would heal and Albedo would smash into him again. The White Testament laughed and leaned down to whisper words to Virgil's ear.

"What's that I smell on you Addict?" Albedo asked, slamming his fist into Virgil again.

"Jealousy? No envy. The crude wrench that unhinges jaws best left shut."

Virgil fought against the pain in order to find some sort of escape but Albedo slammed into him again and he lost that battle.

"Where lies your companion?" Albedo taunted, "In death did you part? Is it the envy, that sorrow that eats at your soul, at your _flesh?_"

Albedo finally stood up, ending his assault on Virgil. The Blue Testament managed to pick himself up off the floor. Pain like razor edged waves sliced into him from all sides as he did. When the pain finally dissipated enough for him to regain himself he looked around, expecting another attack. He was wrong. Albedo sat peacefully on his crystal bench, staring down at the image of his brother again.

"Add envy to your list of sins, Gluttony," Albedo spoke. Virgil could feel the wicked smile in Albedo's words. "Your body reeks of it."

* * *

"It was a matter of national security."

"It was not."

"A matter of life or death?"

"Jr."

"It was chaos! Another moment in there and I would have shot someone. You saved lives today. You're a hero."

chaos smiled, "I guess so."

It hadn't been a complete lie. Jr. had been fed up with the entire thing. That was why he always made it a point to stay away from that part of the hangar unless absolutely necessary. Professor was useful but unpredictable most of the time and if he wasn't in the middle of something, he'd grab the first person he could find to occupy his time. The Elsa's bar was a safe distance from the professor's lab. The booth served as a makeshift bed as Jr. stretched out on it.

"You can make it up to Tony later," he said through a yawn.

"You should be making it up to Tony," chaos adverted, scooting toward the booth's edge to make room for Jr.

"You're just dying to get me in bed with someone, aren't you chaos?"

chaos chuckled at the ridiculous question. He pushed himself up from the booth and made his way to the bar. Jr. watched him for a moment before flipping himself over to face the back of the booth.

"You didn't take your medicine, did you?" chaos called from the bar.

"No and don't start with me, I've had a long day."

To his surprise, chaos didn't scold him. Jr. kept waiting for some kind of reprimand or coaxing to take the capsule he had thrown away. chaos didn't say a word. Instead of nagging, Jr. heard a small thud against the table. Curious, he flipped back over to find a glass sitting in front of him. Jr. pushed himself into a seated position and picked it up.

"Alcohol?" He looked from it to chaos suspiciously. "What's your game, chaos?"

chaos shook his head. "No game, it's just your ordinary, everyday glass of Scotch."

Jr. stared at it a little longer. "There's no way. Gaignun said- chaos, what are you-?"

"Jr.," chaos laughed, "it's just alcohol. I'm not trying to trick you. I asked about your medicine beforehand so that I would know whether or not you were able to have it."

Jr. considered what he'd said. He swirled the drink around in its glass.

"I won't get in trouble for drinking this?"

"I won't tell if you won't."

"Isn't that lying?"

"Not unless Gaignun asks."

"If he does?"

"He won't. Not unless you tell him." chaos shrugged, "For all he knows it was mine. I'm the one who got up to get it."

"Heh," Jr. raised his glass up to chaos. "Yeah and you look like you need a few glasses yourself."

"You can blame it on me if you need to. It is my fault. We were specifcally instructed not to give you alcohol."

Jr. nodded in agreement. "You're a horrible role model, chaos. I should really stop hanging around you. I'll end up all polite and kind."

chaos watched Jr. gulp down his drink. He slammed the glass down and gave chaos a smile. "That was beautiful. I need fifteen more of those and I'll be feeling great."

chaos took the glass from Jr. and shook his head. "Bad day? I heard something went wrong on the Bridge."

The grimace chaos received as a response was all the answer he needed. He pushed himself up from the table and went back to the bar. Jr. got up and followed him this time.

"Let's just say that things didn't go the way I'd planned."

chaos ordered another drink from Adonis and passed it to Jr. They each took a bench and sat down. Jr. finished his glass before he was completely seated. chaos, with another shake of his head, ordered another for him.

"Looks like you're feeling better now."

Jr. nodded, "Yeah. I just kinda...blacked out, I guess."

Jr. regretted his choice of words the moment they left his mouth. chaos' expression was worried but thankfully he didn't ask anything else.

"That's not good, Jr.," he said simply, handing him another glass.

"Yeah, well...that's the price I pay."

Jr. downed another drink and handed chaos his empty glass.

"Hey chaos," Jr. started, trying to change the subject. "Why are you still up? You're so tired. I can tell just by looking at you that you're gonna fall over any minute."

"I can't sleep yet, Jr." chaos said, "I'm going to wait up for Tony and Hammer to get back. Maybe I'll go look for Scott soon. We're not working tomorrow anyway. Captain Matthews won't be back from his concert for a while so..."

"Concert?" Jr. asked, "What the hell is Matthews doing at a concert?"

"You didn't know?"

"No way! You've got to be kidding me. Who authorized that?"

"Mary, while you were recovering."

"Of course she did."

chaos shook his head, a tired smile on his lips. "Well, we are ahead of schedule. He's almost finished paying off his debt, so I guess he wanted to celebrate..." chaos paused for a minute, "...celebrate almost being out of debt."

They both laughed.

"Yeah, well, you were overdue for a vacation anyway."

chaos placed his elbows on the table and leaned over the counter a bit.

"What were you doing out so late, Jr.? Aren't you tired as well? It'll be morning in just a few hours. I don't think anyone would scold you for sleeping in late since you've been ill."

"I needed a walk. I've been cooped up too long, you know? It's suffocating."

Jr. accepted the next glass chaos handed him. It hadn't been exactly what he had expected, but it had calmed him down nonetheless. The alcohol chaos was giving him was more than making up for the horrible day he'd had. He took a sip of his drink. Well, maybe the whole day hadn't been completely horrible. It had been a little crazy ever since Hammer had flown down the road in Tony's hover bike but it had cleared his mind. Even his confrontation with Professor earlier had eased it somehow. Things were falling back into place. Life was becoming normal again. He smiled and downed the rest of his drink. 'That reminds me,' he thought. He turned up to look at his best friend.

"Hey chaos? Did you know that we have a cathedral on the foundation?"

"A cathedral?" chaos thought about if for a moment before answering, "Yes, I think I heard something about a while ago. Why do you ask?"

chaos' answer lifted a giant weight off of Jr.'s mind. So he wasn't crazy. There was a cathedral there afterall. He mentally kicked himself for being so paranoid. What was he afraid of? The boogeyman didn't exist and even if he did, Jr. wouldn't find him in a cathedral. He was eager to go back now that he'd settled his mind.

"I didn't know we had one. Not one that amazing. It's so awesome, chaos. Have you seen it? It looks like a miniature of the ones on Lost Jerusalem. It's crazy how I didn't know about it."

"I'm not so sure if it's that amazing, Jr."

"Why not?" Jr. asked, slightly offended. "Of course, it's in an abandoned sector right now. It's strange, actually. Everything around it is destroyed but it didn't seem to be touched at all."

That seemed to interest chaos. He passed Jr. another drink before asking, "Really? It wasn't damaged in any way?"

Jr. shook his head, "I know, it's crazy but I was there. I almost went inside too. Before KOS-MOS used the Hilbert Effect, the Gnosis were materializing through everything so the inside might be a little messed up. Now that I think about it, the roof might have been smashed in. I couldn't really see since it's so dark out."

"I think the night has been playing tricks on you, Jr." chaos said, playfully. "Are you sure you didn't need that medicine?"

"Come on," Jr. said, pushing his empty glass toward his friend. "I'll take you there tomorrow. You'll see it for yourself. Then I'll get to hear an apology."

It was quite a load off for Jr. now that chaos had confirmed its existence. But the more Jr. thought about it, the more he couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong. That feeling, that strange, ominous feeling, like someone breathing down his neck or hiding in his shadow… The cathedral had embodied that for him at exactly that moment. It towered over him, staring him down, baiting him towards the door only to snap him up in a trap once he entered. His paranoia was really getting to him. He rubbed his temples to stave off an oncoming headache. He was going to have to see the doctor tomorrow; he might as well get something for anxiety.

As chaos passed him another drink a completely different thought flickered through his mind. He'd been ill for a while now. He tried to count the days but failed due to his disorientation. He thought about asking chaos but decided not to. Jr. knew it had to have been somewhere around a week. Shouldn't he be better by now? He blinked at his reflection in his glass. Jr. should have been completely healed by now. U.R.T.V.'s weren't indestructible and could be harmed just as easily as a human could but they healed almost twice as fast. The doctor had said that the scan of his brain had been a good one, so why was he still having nightmares and hallucinations?

'You're just being paranoid,' he told himself but something inside of him rejected that statement. It was more than that. It was way more than that. But that was impossible. He'd checked himself. Albedo was dead. He knew better than anyone. He'd been there. He'd been right there. He'd done it. He'd killed him with his own two hands. It was his fault so...he knew.

"The world is better off without him anyway."

"You think so?"

Oh no. Jr.'s eyes went wide and the hands around his glass dropped instantly. He'd said it out loud. Jr.'s heart sank into his stomach where he drowned it with liquor. He'd said it out loud and chaos knew exactly who he'd been thinking about. chaos always knew, he'd probably just been waiting for Jr. to crack. Jr. reluctantly placed the empty glass down.

"But what about you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied, turning away from his best friend to stare at the HaKox machine. He really didn't want to talk about it. Not to Gaignun, not to chaos, not to anyone. It didn't matter. It was over. The whole thing was over and Albedo was dead. Nothing was going to change that.

"Jr., you can't keep running from it."

"I'm not running from anything, chaos," Jr. bit back, still facing away from him. "I'm not a goddamn coward, alright?"

"Jr., you know that's not what I meant," chaos replied, soothingly. "You can't keep it locked inside of you. It will destroy you, you know that."

"I can handle myself."

A few moments passed in silence. Jr. couldn't talk about it and he wasn't going to try. Jr. wasn't sure how long the silence was, just that he planned on being quiet for as long as it took for chaos to get the message.

"It's ok to grieve, Jr."

His words stabbed into Jr. with flawless precision. Like a dam being broken, his words opened Jr.'s mind for the flood of unpleasant memories he kept impounded inside. He tried to block them out and was on the defensive immediately.

"He was a monster. People don't grieve monsters. People don't grieve psychopaths. You don't grieve someone who tried to destroy everyone and everything near you! You don't grieve people like that chaos, you just don't."

He knew what a monstrous creation his other half had been. Talking about it wasn't going to make him forget. It wasn't going to make anything better. Another bout of silence passed between the two of them. Jr. continued his staring contest with the machine. chaos continued his silence. This had been a bad idea, another one to add to his string of bad ideas. Jr. would have a necklace full of stupidity soon.

"Every death that affects us...it diminishes us a little. It chips away at the structure of our essence. No matter how horrible the person had been in life, that's not what we remember."

chaos paused and Jr. couldn't help himself. HaKox won the contest as Jr. finally gave up and faced him. chaos wasn't looking at him though, instead the dark boy's gaze was focused on his gloved hands.

"And so we grieve. Not so much for the death as for ourselves."

chaos raised his tired eyes to the redhead and gave him that melancholy smile.

"We need to grieve, Jr. You're forcing yourself to remember all of the things he did to mask your pain, I can see it. The guilt you won't allow yourself to feel is only shaming you more."

Jr. sighed and laid his head on the bar's counter. He was too tired to think. He didn't even want to try to find the effort for thought. He folded his arms under his head, tilting it toward chaos. He wanted to tell him that it wasn't true. Jr. wanted to sit up and prove to chaos that he didn't need to grieve because he simply didn't care. He wanted to push himself up and show him how much he didn't miss Albedo. How thankful he was for Albedo's death. Albedo was a monster. Albedo was a ferocious beast. He was ruthless and he would destroy whatever Jr. touched. Albedo was sin and darkness and death and disaster.  
chaos had given Jr. alcohol but not enough to impair him. He wasn't going to win that easily.

"Someone had to stop him," was Jr.'s answer.

And that was it. That was all he could take. He didn't want to discuss this anymore. If anyone else had talked to him like that…

Jr. pushed himself up with a groan. He needed to get away again. Hadn't that been the point of his earlier departure, to be alone? And here he was, surrounding himself with people again.

"I've got to get out of here," he said, refusing to look his angelic friend in the eyes. "It's way too late. You should sleep too."

chaos looked as if he wanted to say more but he didn't. He nodded instead and stood up from his stool.

"Thank you, Jr., for saving me from Professor."

Jr. yawned and nodded, "Anytime, chaos. I'm not afraid of that old guy. He gives you any more problems let me know."

He stretched until the bones in his back popped before sliding off the stool. When he landed on his feet he shook his head. The room was spinning more than it should have been. Maybe he'd misjudged the amount of liquor chaos had given him afterall. He heard a whispered laugh and felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Jr. I'll walk you to your room."

* * *

Virgil angrily tried to rub away the lingering pain from Albedo's attack. Healing his body didn't stop the sharp aching. It had been foolish of him not to expect such a vicious attack from Albedo. He was Albedo. It was easy to forget sometimes. He seemed more like a statue molded permanently into the spot he sat.

"How is he?"

Virgil dropped the hand on his neck and straightened up a little at the voice.

"He's about to leave again."

"You can tell?"

"You can't?"

Kevin materialized behind Virgil. The Testament's footsteps echoed gently off the surrounding crystal as he moved. They stood far off from Albedo though they didn't need to. They could have been talking right beside him and the White Testament would not have heard a single word. He was too lost in his own little world, in Rubedo's world.

"He tenses up," Virgil explained, "It's like he's going to physically run there when he gets the chance."

Virgil watched Albedo for a few moments longer before looking over to Kevin. "What's it to you?"

"Is he right?" Kevin asked, ignoring Virgil's question. "About your being envious?"

Virgil crossed his arms and fixed Kevin with a glare. "What?"

"Why else would you spend so much time with him?"

"Look who's talking," Virgil grunted, annoyed already with Kevin's presence and insinuations. "You came here too. Afraid you're not Wilhelm's golden boy anymore?"

Kevin didn't respond right away, his gaze connected to Albedo's form.

"I don't trust him," he said finally.

Virgil grinned. "That's the same as saying you don't trust Wilhelm, isn't it?"

Kevin was silent again.

"What is he doing?" Kevin asked, refusing to answer Virgil again.

"He's made a screen out of the crystal. It's like watching a vid and why don't you just ask him? I'm not his keeper."

"You are the only one he's civil towards."

Virgil's laugh was sharp enough to cut through their crystal surroundings. "I'm not so sure."

The two of them watched Albedo for a few still moments before Virgil spoke.

"Why don't you know already? Doesn't Wilhelm tell you everything?"

Kevin flinched a little and Virgil understood. The problem Kevin had was not Albedo's game or the fact that Wilhelm had granted him special permission. Wilhelm wasn't telling Kevin the details and it was making the Testament uneasy.  
Virgil found a wall to lean against. He wasn't sure why he'd been upset. It just...irked him. Albedo always got his way. Hell, he might even pull this off. The Blue Testament remembered the last few nightmares Albedo had conjured. If he managed to make his twin fall in love with him it would be a miracle. He didn't understand Albedo's plan or his actions or why he had even agreed to something that seemed so impossible. He'd probably just end up destroying the kid. It would be oh so fulfilling to watch the immortal fail. But if Kevin was truly jealous then he might try to ruin Albedo's game prematurely and that wouldn't be much fun. Virgil wasn't sure if there was anything in the rules that prohibited Kevin from intervening. He was fuzzy on them himself but he was certain Kevin knew them. The Testament hung on Wilhelm's every word and could recite every syllable Wilhelm had ever spoken. If it wasn't Albedo's fault directly it wouldn't be as satisfying. He needed to try and sway Kevin from it.

"If you're thinking about sabotaging him," Virgil said, gaining Kevin's attention finally, "then don't. He's doing a good job of that all on his own."

"Is that so?"

Virgil nodded. "He's just torturing him. I'll be surprised if the kid makes it out alive."

The Blue Testament sighed and dropped his arms. It was time. Albedo's posture had changed and now he seemed tense with excitement, trying to hold himself back for that perfect moment.

"I don't get what he's trying to do. I don't understand him but who does?"

They were silent again, caught up in the show Albedo was providing. It was almost suspenseful, watching him. Virgil kept thinking he was going to leave but he never did. Albedo was on edge, just a few seconds more...

"His brother," Kevin replied as Albedo disappeared from view.

* * *

It was dark, still night but Jr. could make out the front of the cathedral as soon as his hover car entered the district. In a few hours the artificial sun would start to rise. The cathedral lights continued to shine despite that, illuminating its steps and it windows. It was baiting him, but Jr. didn't care. He had to find out. He had to know what was behind those doors. He absolutely had to.

Jr. hadn't been able to sleep. chaos' words just wouldn't leave him alone. They were all he'd thought about and maybe he was right. Jr. hadn't been allowing himself to think about what had happened. If his mind lingered on it too long he found something to occupy him immediately. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want anything to do with it. It was over. It didn't matter and it was too easy to pretend that it hadn't happened.

The hover car pulled to a stop in front of the church. There it was, bidding him to come. Jr. opened the door and made his way up the steps. If there was nothing behind these doors then he'd have to give in. His skepticism and paranoia were all in his head and he'd willingly take whatever medicine was thrown at him.

**"You look like you've just lost your best friend, Rubedo." **

He winced at the unwanted memory and drew in a shaky breath. He turned his blue eyes to the doors with determination strong enough to melt the stone. What was he afraid of? That Albedo might be behind the door? That he might drag him in and pick him apart? Jr. pressed one hand against the door. Was that truly what he was afraid of or was it something else?

The night air was still around him. Silence coated him like a heavy blanket. The lights streamed false warmth onto him, promising safety with stale sweetness. This was it; the moment of truth. Whatever was behind this door...Jr. would have to accept it. His search for reality was going to end right here, right now in the pitch black of predawn. Jr. kept telling himself of the things he knew, but...what did he really know? Nothing and that had to change. Now. His fractured heart beat like a broken metronome for his unbalanced mind and punctured breaths. Time to find out.

Jr. placed his other hand against the doors and pushed.

* * *

A/N: I know how Jr. feels. HaKox owns me all the time. C:  
Well it's finally done. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Now the next chapter will be a nightmare. There's no way I can possibly put it off any longer. It's going to happen so those of you impatient for one won't have to wait much longer...at least I don't think. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again but I'm on a roll and anything could happen. It should be up by at least the end of October.

Reviews are my muse so inspire it up, people!


	12. Incubus

A/N: Tylida! You did this to us last year!  
Hah! I did kinda didn't I? Right around this time too. Sorry guys. My fiancée and I had a falling out and I'm not taking it as well as I should be. Hence the ridiculously late update you have before you. It's kind of been hard to write and it was written in bits and pieces so I hope it flows ok. The beginning is a little flashback of Albedo and Sellers. Yay Sellers! I just couldn't resist. The rest is the nightmare itself so I shall let you get on with it and stop talking.

Warning: Nightmare. Those of you with weak constitutions should continue reading anyway.  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Xenosaga, only the sick mind that created the plot.

* * *

_I imagine that a reason people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with the pain_.  
- James Baldwin

* * *

Abnormally Attracted to Sin  
Chapter 12  
Incubus

Was it right to call Sellers his father? Certainly not but the scientist was the closest Albedo had ever come to having one. That was one possible reason why when he was particularly aggravated, he'd find himself in the shrewd paraplegic's laboratory. Sellers always knew when the misfit variant was upset. He'd stomp into the room, his pounding footsteps reverberating from every corner. They always disturbed the scientist and he'd instantly give up on the task he had been given. He'd have to accomplish it later after Albedo left. There'd be a few more angry stomps before he'd hear the boy harshly take a vacant seat in the lab. An angry noise would empty itself from his throat but aside from that he was usually quiet. Sellers knew something was different this time. He wasn't sure why - he just knew. The scientist waited, expecting something to occur. The sooner it did the sooner he could get back to work. He did have a schedule to maintain after all, and these little tantrums were quite the annoying little disruptions. But Albedo didn't speak. His heavy, angry breathing was the only thing Sellers could hear. The scientist was no fool and didn't press it. He would be patient and wait it out; if he didn't it would only make things worse. An hour ticked by and still Albedo was silent. Sellers was about to give up and ask (though doing so would only provoke the unstable boy) what the matter was. Luckily Albedo spoke before he voluntarily did something so stupid.

"Do you know what they call me?"

Sellers assumed by 'they' Albedo meant the soldiers. Most of them were frightened of him. Most of Ormus was frightened of him. He was a dangerous little thing and unpredictable at that. He didn't follow the rules. He didn't listen to anyone. He did whatever he wished and mocked everything Ormus and its military stood for. He was openly resented and every now and then a foolish recruit without prior knowledge would open his mouth. Albedo was always all-too happy to shut it for him.

"Monster," Albedo spoke, answering his own question. "They call me a demon."

Sellers' chair turned around so that he could face the boy. By Albedo's earlier tone he had been expecting him to be truly upset. He should have known better. Albedo was never the victim. A wide grin plastered his face as he raised a bloody hand. It was then that Sellers noticed that the front of the boy's uniform was smeared with the substance.

"They call me crazy, insane." Albedo ran his tongue across a finger, "They wanted a monster, so I gave them one."

Sellers wasn't as easily disgusted as most people and the thought of another dead Ormus soldier wasn't disturbing in the least little bit. Albedo liked that about him and liked even more that the scientist didn't cry out or panic when Albedo jumped onto his hover chair. He placed his feet on the chair's controls and leaned over, planting his hands on the outer ring of the machine. The scientist grimaced a little, unhappy about having to clean blood off of his expensive vehicle.

"What about you, Cripple?" Albedo asked with a grin that made even Sellers uncomfortable. He shifted a bit in order to get closer to the older man, reminding Sellers of the archaic spider ready to sink its deadly fangs into its prey. "Do you find me mad?"

He remained calm and stoic in the face of lunacy. What else was he to do? It wasn't like he could run away. Albedo's purple gaze pierced him as he waited, crouched in that disturbing position. He was trying to throw him off, trying to create an excuse to attack. Sellers was smarter than that.

"Certainly," he said, "but all great minds are."

Albedo's grin twisted dangerously. 'Liar!' it screamed, ready to rip him apart but it faltered when Sellers surprised him.

"After all, one cannot change the world without a little insanity."

* * *

The doors opened silently, something Jr. wasn't expecting. There was no ominous creaking or thundering of limestone against the floor. The doors were silence itself as if sound were muted by the all too audible pounding of his anxious heart.

He stepped inside and onto a tiny vestibule separated from the rest of the church by a large series of dark pillars, leaving an opening big enough for two people to walk through. Jr. could see the inside of the church from where he stood. He took a deep breath before looking back to the darkness outside of the doors. There was something grim about the fact that obscure darkness felt safer than a brightly lit cathedral but there was no turning back now. He'd made his decision and it was time for some answers. With a powerful exhale and frozen resolve he turned his back to the comfort of darkness and made his way forward.

The first thing Jr. noticed about the cathedral was its height. It was impossibly tall, the exaggerated verticality revealing the height Jr. had missed in the dark. The rib-vaulted ceilings created a pointed arch and gave the cathedral the shape of a stretched oval, the bottom being cut away by the floor. As Jr. made his way farther into the church he noticed that the ribbing of the ceilings swept down from the roof to create the very pillars that held up the edifice. The vaulted ceiling and the dark pillars repeated from the entrance to the high altar, mimicking a backbone and rib cage with the altar as its heart. Dark brown pews flanked the sides as he walked the cathedral's nave, stained glass windows at each of their ends. A tall candlestick stood unlit on either side of each pew. They were empty of candles and Jr. assumed that they gave light without them and were simply turned off. It made sense. There was no need for them in such a brightly lit place. The walls echoed the gray of the exterior but the floor was covered in a black mirror tile that reflected Jr.'s movements. He couldn't keep himself from glancing down at his image in between the rhythm of his steps. A piece of him kept expecting to see Albedo's likeness grinning up at him from beyond an onyx mirror. But he was always greeted by his own anxious features.

Despite the cathedral's ostentatious height it was small in width and Jr. didn't have to move from the central aisle to inspect the area. The whole building was visible. There was nothing to hide behind, no shadows or doors to wait in. There was nothing and even though the discovery should have given him relief none came. Call him stubborn, call him paranoid, call him crazy but he just knew that this couldn't be all those doors had had to offer him. This couldn't be what had been pleading with him earlier that night. It just couldn't be. He continued his walk forward. His eyes swept down the aisles, between pews and up to the roof again. He turned to look behind him towards the open cathedral doors. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Jr. stopped his journey where the nave ended and became the chancel. In front of him lied the altar raised onto a slightly higher platform. Behind it stood another stained glass window that took up the entire back wall, stretching to conform to the cathedral's height. A large, empty cross hung a few feet above its center. He sighed and shifted his stance, scanning the area one more time. Was this all there was for him? Had he imagined that haunted feeling before? He crossed his arms and glared at his surroundings for what he swore would be the final time. Something wasn't right. Something was out of place, it had to be. There had to have been some sort of explanation for the haunted feeling.

Jr. groaned and uncrossed his arms. He was thoroughly frustrated with himself. There was nothing here. His eyes landed on the empty cross once more. He supposed he should be relieved. He wasn't crazy, he was injured. Still, as his eyes traced the perfect shapes of the unmarred stained glass he found no relief. He chalked it up to his nonsensical paranoia. He was already irritated – hell, this whole predicament was pissing him off. He sat himself down on a pew and leaned back against it. There was nothing here. It was just an empty, abandoned cathedral. The fact that it was still standing was nothing short of a miracle. He leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling and thought idly - as his eyes traced its ribbed shape - that the longer he stared at it the more it seemed to move. As if it were alive and Jr. was sitting in the glorious insides of a sleeping creature.

He sat waiting and expecting but still nothing came. chaos was right, was always right. It wasn't something he hadn't known, he knew exactly what he had been doing. Trying to pretend like something didn't happen didn't make it disappear. Everyone could see the gaping hole in his chest and no matter how hard Jr. tried to cover it, it wasn't going away.

It had been easier to forget before. Unbelievably so with the new life Helmer had given them. The farther they were apart the weaker their link became and the more Jr. neglected it the weaker still it became. Jr. could feel Albedo and had known he was alive and the knowledge had been somewhat comforting. He'd never wanted his brother to die but he was too dangerous to be around anymore. It was better to just pretend. He'd done a good job of pretending too before Albedo had resurfaced years later from the hell of the past Miltia. He had reemerged pulling hard on a link that had gone unused for years, not even giving Jr. enough time to prepare himself. And so he attacked without thinking, attacked the object of his guilt, his fear, of everything he wanted to forget. He'd had no choice, not with MOMO as his latest attempt at Jr.'s weakness.  
But when he had stepped onto Abel's Ark, when he had walked through the hell Albedo conjured for him, it wasn't about MOMO. It wasn't even truly about Sakura. It wasn't about Gaignun or the Institute, Miltia, or anything else. It had been about them.

For once, his ears hadn't rung with the sound of a lunatic's chimeric rhetoric. And for the first time in his entire life Albedo had seemed happy, at peace. That was probably because Albedo had gotten what he'd wanted.

And Jr., Jr. hadn't even gotten to apologize.

Jr. snapped out of his thoughts and pushed himself up. It was time to leave. Obviously the only things here were empty seats and an empty cross. No fantastic epiphany, no extravagant dream to violently shake him from a fitful sleep. Definitely no brother so there was no use in making himself sick thinking over it. He needed to get out of here. He easily resisted the urge to look around once more. He'd seen enough and searching again wouldn't make a difference. He kept his eyes away from the reflective floor and kept them straight ahead towards the welcoming blackness of early morning. He'd sleep it off - all of this - and figure things out from there. His temples ached from memories he refused to acknowledge. He was too fucking tired and this place was too damn quiet. He needed to get out. Black morning held open the doors for him like welcoming arms promising salvation from salvation. It made him all the more eager to get the hell out. He was so tired and the doors were so close.

"Rester, Rubedo. What is your haste?"

Jr. stopped. It was a reflexive action coinciding with the suddenness of his blood running cold. Stopping was a mistake however, and he instantly regretted it as the stone doors slammed shut in front of him.

"Afraid of your mark?"

Jr. stood dumbly, staring at the doors that kept him trapped as if their closing had been a mistake. His eyes must be playing tricks on him. They were open, _would _open, if he'd just keep walking. But it was no illusion. An earsplitting sound filled the once quiet church. Jr.'s hands went to cover his ears to keep it away but it didn't help. That horrible white noise returned with a vengeance, trying to crush him beneath it once more. Jr. refused to let it consume him again and forced himself to straighten up.

"How silly a sentiment."

Somehow the sentence had found its way through the sound and Jr. spun around to find its owner. That damn static was scraping the insides of his skull but he forced himself to look, to search. He couldn't allow himself to appear weakened. The pews were empty as were the pillars. Every shadow was empty but he could feel him and he could hear him. Albedo was here. A new sound, like the twisting of metal pierced the static and Jr.'s eyes followed the sound to the altar and upward to the once empty cross.

"Did you not know? Everyone is welcome in God's house."

It wasn't a cross anymore, not the one he had seen earlier and he found himself taking a small step backward at the sight.

It was twisted, turned upside down and stretched so that its edges created sharp, dangerous points. A golden tree sprouted from its top as a golden circle connected them together, interrupted by the black points of the cross. It was an iron cross, Ormus' cross.  
Jr. wasn't afraid of Ormus. Ormus Jr. could handle, had handled. No, Ormus wasn't a problem.

The problem lie with the person. The person hanging from its pointed cross. The person hanging upside down like an inverted messiah. The person nailed, bleeding, and grinning at Jr. with all the madness he could muster.

"Even you, dragon."

Part of Jr. wanted to run, to find some sort of escape. Another begged him to wake up. Albedo could only be alive in a dream, right? Wake up. Just wake the fuck up. He closed his eyes in an attempt to erase the image in front of him but when he opened them nothing had changed. Albedo was still there, an exact copy of Jr.'s last memories of him as if his Kirschwassers had nailed him there instead of taking him to Paradise. A rosary hung from his neck, swaying slightly every time he breathed. A cruel smile played on his lips, taunting Jr.

"Tell me!" Jr. shouted, placing a hand over a hilt to calm his nerves. He was tired of running. He was tired of being the coward. He was going to face this demented apparition and he was going to get some answers. "Tell me just what the hell you are."

Albedo's smile worsened in a way that made Jr. reconsider escape. He couldn't stand it. "Answer me!" He shouted again, trying not to reveal how shaken he was.

"I know that you can't be real. Albedo's dead so what are you, another figment of my imagination?"

And then he laughed; that horrible sound that drove Jr. to the brink of insanity every time he heard it.

"Eating the bread of anxious toil? Careful Rubedo for you're only giving it to your sleep."

"Answer me!" Jr. yelled back, ignoring Albedo's words. "You called me here, didn't you? Well you've got me so tell me what you want."

"Is it not obvious, mon Rubedo?"

'My Rubedo' he had said, as if Jr. were something to possess. He tensed as Albedo squirmed a bit, causing blood to seep from his nailed wounds.

"I want you."

"Sorry. I'm not for sale."

"My dear brother, you misunderstand me. Redeeming you was not my intention."

Darkness overtook the cathedral and transformed it into a blackness so severe that Jr. felt himself panic for a moment as he fumbled to draw his weapons fast enough. Fortunately it didn't last long. The unlit candles that had lined the nave lit up, throwing the abbey's insides into a soft yellow-orange glow with darkness at its edges. He was surrounded by shadows, the nave being his only safe point. Albedo had him trapped. Still Jr. held his stance, guns raised against the crucified monster.

"Tell me, mon coer, what part do I play in the theatre of your dreams? Am I the victim or the villain?"

"Every dream I've ever had of you," Jr. growled, "has always been a nightmare."

"Ah, but of course! Why I, I was always the villain!"

Albedo's shoulders tugged, causing the cross behind him to shudder. Blood oozed from his wounds, leaving trails on his legs and causing it to drip from the cross' iron edges.

"Crucify me my cruel dragon! Crucify me to this iron, this symbol of regret! Crucify me to this, the very proof of your betrayal!"

A horrible tearing sound caused Jr's heart to drop. Albedo's smile was Glasgow as he gave a powerful yank and separated his hand from the cross.

"But come Rubedo," He laughed, paying no mind to the bloody hole in his hand or the chunk of flesh missing from his palm. "Come, confess yourself to Heaven! Repent what's past, avoid what is to come!"

Another vicious jerk and Albedo freed his other hand but the jerk was too forceful and instead of simply tearing his flesh the demented messiah tore the nail from its spot. The crude thing remained in place as Albedo laughed through his hysterical psychosis.

"And pray dragon, pray! It is Hail Mary time and you are desperately in need of your Gabriel!"

"Wha-what are you talking about?" Jr. shouted but it came out as more of a shriek as he unconsciously took a few steps back. He was very conscious of himself as he cocked his guns however, and all too conscious of Albedo's Cheshire smile.

"What lies in that broken heart of yours, Rubedo?" Albedo tilted his head, heated accusation in his eyes contrasting with the chilling set of his lips and complimenting the gruesome state of his wounds. "How anxious my hero is for his villain. Incessant with desperation it cries. How pitifully it calls, screams for your monster!"

Jr.'s breath hitched in his chest. That was impossible. Jr. had searched their link and Albedo's had come up empty. Albedo was dead. The real Albedo was dead. This one was his own creation, a part of his own self-torment. There was no other way. Wake up, Jr.

"You're not going to trick me again," Jr. demanded, "I'm the damn link master. There's no possible way you could've-"

"What does your silence sound like?"

Jr. stiffened at the question, unwilling reminded of the white noise that clung to the lining of his mind like drying glue; buzzing in and out, louder and louder.

"What of that debilitating debacle that drenches your mind? Summon, seek, find me!" Albedo slammed the palms of his hands against the cross, causing it to shudder. "Forget me not!"

Albedo pressed his palms against the cross and raised his upper body from it. With a rough twist he tore his feet from the nail that held them. Gravity pulled his body down fast but Albedo righted himself, landing on already regenerated feet.

"Why do you run, resist?" Albedo asked as he straightened himself up. He stood with his back facing Jr. The boy shakily tightened his grip on his weapons. "I only answer the unsteady pulse that calls for me. Must you give chase?"

Jr. didn't need to see Albedo's face; he could hear the smile in it. "Fly, dragon."

Maybe he was overdoing it. Just a little bit. Albedo smiled. Good. Oh how lovely it was to see his mighty dragon shivering. What is the emotion behind those tremors? Is it anger, fear, shock, disgust? Albedo couldn't decide. Oh but what a fun game this was. Come, dragon, your darkness calls. A bullet sailed past Albedo's ear, almost making contact before bursting a section of the glass window in front of him.

"No, I'm tired of this game!"

The strength of his voice surprised the madman and sent shivers of his own up his spine.

"You WILL answer me!"

"Yes!" Albedo cried, turning to face his brother. Jr. shrank back a little. Hide behind those weapons any harder and they'll surely break. "Give me more! More of that dangerous fire, my sweet dragon. Fuel my hunger, feed me your vengeance!"

"You really think I'm that stupid?" Jr. bit back. "I know what you want from me. Like hell you're gonna get it!"

Albedo felt the wickedness of his own smile. How very naïve his little dragon was.

"Do you, Rubedo?"

Jr.'s sureness eroded a bit under Albedo's voice. Still he answered:

"Yeah, I do."

"Then come!" Albedo shouted, slamming his bleeding hands onto the altar, causing it to crack under the force. "Commit yourself to this place; the closet of your sins. Deliver me from the confines of your prisonic confessional. Give to me your completion and with it renounce mine!"

Blood from his unhealed left hand smeared the once pristine surface of the altar and dripped down its edges.

"And answer _me_, mon coer. Contest to _me_, mon précieux,"

Jr.'s blood iced over at the warped thing Albedo's smile had become.

"Did it hurt?"

Albedo tore through the altar separating him from Jr. and charged so fast that the boy barely had time to think. He jerked to the left at the last second, avoiding Albedo's grasp by mere inches. The madman's laughter rang throughout the dark cathedral. Jr. quickly spun around to face Albedo only to find that he wasn't there. Albedo had vanished outside of the nave and into the unlit shadows covering the rest of the cathedral. There was no sound, no movement, not even laughter as Jr. tried to locate his brother. Jr. was in trouble and he knew it but he tried to keep himself calm; panicking wasn't going to fix anything. There was a small sound to his right. He turned toward it just in time as Albedo flew out of the darkness to grab him again. Albedo missed but Jr. knew that wouldn't stop him and within a few seconds Albedo was coming at him again from another direction. Jr. was trapped in the light as Albedo moved through the blanket his shadows allowed him. He was a flash of white from the darkest parts of the blackened cathedral trying desperately to grab hold of Jr. every time he drew near. He picked up his speed and Jr.'s movements became even sloppier as he tried to keep track of where Albedo had left and where he was coming from. Despite the disorientating motion he always managed to move, he managed to fire his weapon and hit his mark each time Albedo reached for him. It was useless to shoot. It would always be useless to shoot, to fire but Jr. wouldn't lessen the grip on his guns. They were his protection and Albedo wasn't going to break him.

"Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?" Albedo screamed from the shadows as he launched himself forward again.

Survival had become a dance and Jr. couldn't keep up. Albedo lead him back and forth across the cathedral's nave, keeping Jr. in the dimly- lit center as the boy tried to predict his movements. There was no escape and Jr. found himself stumbling just to dodge. Albedo loved the clumsy movements of his brother. He loved the way his voice shook his counterpart. He delighted in it, bathed in it, and even though his Rubedo's eyes were sharp and his aim perfection, his heart was frantic. Albedo could see it written like ink on his skin. It didn't take much; a simple slip, a second too slow, reaction time confused with the constantly changing location of his enemy, and Rubedo was his. His guns were knocked from his hands and he was thrown onto the floor before he could comprehend what was happening. A sharp slamming sound met the tile beside his head and for a moment Jr. thought he had blacked out. It took him a few seconds to realize that the blackness he was staring into was the cathedral's onyx tile. It took a second longer to realize that the slamming sound had been caused by Albedo's nailed hand breaking the tile beside him. His frantic expression greeted him as he rushed to pull himself up but he was stopped by a hand on his back.

"How ugly is your shadow, your reflection?"

Jr. struggled to push himself up but only succeeded in being forced harder onto the cold tile. Albedo bent low, so that Jr. could feel his breath against his neck. Jr. kept his pitiful struggle, closing his eyes at the feeling of Albedo being so near.

"I can see the innocence of your incubus," Albedo whispered. Jr. shivered and tried again to break away. Albedo only pressed down harder. "His wings are sharp and his soul is lost. Deliver him to me."

Jr.'s eyes snapped open when he felt Albedo's tongue on his ear. "I will absolve him."

"Get off me!" Jr. threatened. That familiar fire began to rise inside of him. "I swear to God if you don't stop this-"

Albedo's maddening laughter rang throughout the cathedral. "Fangs, fangs, give me that bite, that marvelous bite of yours."

Jr. growled and squirmed again but Albedo was stronger. Jr. wasn't going to get away. Not unless… Albedo's eyes flashed with excitement and Jr. watched his reflected smile turn sadistic. Before he could brace himself Albedo had flipped him onto his back, hard. Now the madman was crawling on top of him, pinning him down, urging the dragon to fight.

"I can feel it Rubedo," Albedo spoke. Jr. felt a hand behind his neck. Something smooth and round pressed against his spine. It only took a moment to for him to remember the nail still lodged in Albedo's palm. "In the way your blood and your heart beat. In the way your body writhes beneath me." Jr. could hear the sharp end scrapping against the tile and felt his twin's blood on his skin as Albedo pulled the boy up closer to him.

"And although I adore the sting, the_ prick_ of those sharp, violent teeth…" Jr. could feel U-DO before he could see it. It evaporated off his twin's body and covered him like silk. He couldn't stand the feeling "I've had enough of your fangs. Give me your fire!"

"No!" Jr. shouted. His heart pounded, his blue eyes flashed red, his body craved to destroy the creature above him. It coursed through his veins with enough force to cause his body to shake.  
"I won't!" But it was growing harder to hold himself back. As his body shook from the effort he wondered which was more exhausting: releasing or containing his power. He wondered too if that was Albedo's intention.

His mind was quickly brought back to Albedo when he felt the man's lips on his neck.

"And to what deadly sin do I owe this submission?"

He cringed and struggled, trying to escape, trying to contain himself, trying to just think.

"Have you come bearing admittance to that tightly wrapped secret of yours? Or have you come to be done with me? Done with my memory, my mind, my presence, my soul, your soul? Done with the consorts of God's blood and of his burial?"

Jr. tried to make sense of what was happening, his mind caught between controlling himself and dissecting Albedo's words. He opened his mouth to speak but a finger on his lips stopped him. He glared at Albedo as the madman bent lower so that their faces were mere inches apart.

"Tell me, mon coer," he grinned, watching his gloved hand slide down Jr.'s lips. "What do I desire?"

Jr. could feel himself reaching the breaking point. He shuddered, sparks flickering on and off his body. They burned into Albedo and Jr. felt his stomach turn at the excitement that brought him.

"Why?" Jr. screamed, "Why are you doing this? I don't want to fight anymore! You're not even real! The real Albedo died. He died! I-I…"

Albedo was a composer effortlessly coaxing Jr.'s body to play his masterpiece. He loved every moment of it; his dragon's lamentation trapped in the harlequin wrappings of a hymnal's praise. Ah but that's not what he truly wanted and though the melody was enough to send his maddened mind into a delicious delirium he couldn't help himself.

"Death is but bitter without your sweet fire."

And ah, that was what he wanted; that shock, the confusion written all over his fiery twin. It was too much and as Jr. opened his mouth to speak Albedo took the chance to place his lips over Jr.'s His body was shaking harder now and Albedo grinned against the boy's lips. Jr.'s hands pressed on Albedo's bare shoulders, trying weakly to push him off but Albedo only responded by forcing them harder together.

"Guide me to Hell my red prince," he gasped. Albedo ran his uninjured claw down Jr.'s body. The boy jerked and the madman smiled. "And together let us lie in your bed of coals."

Jr. was beginning to wonder if it was worth it. Keeping his power at bay was putting him in an extremely dangerous position. But even with the knowledge that he was in a dream and even knowing that none of this mattered, even knowing that this all had to be some kind of twisted fabrication of his wounded mind he couldn't let himself do it again. Albedo was taking full advantage of Jr.'s torment, drinking in the sight of it. The tips of his claws met the zipper of Jr.'s pants.

"What are you-" Jr. started to shout but he was again stopped by Albedo's lips. Jr. fought harder this time, a bit of his energy ghosting along Albedo's bare skin, threatening him. Albedo loved it and when he pulled away Jr. felt the black rosary hit his chin, the tips of an inverted cross idly knocking against his skin. Albedo pulled Jr.'s body as close to his own as he could and nuzzled his face into the boy's neck.

"It is not your fire but your molten core that I seek."

Jr. was even more confused than ever at his words. If Albedo didn't want him to lose control then what did he want? Wasn't that what he had been trying to get him to do from the moment these nightmares had started? That had to be the point of all of this. There was no other explanation. The claws that had been playing with Jr.'s zipper released it but Jr. was too caught up in his thoughts to notice until that same hand slid over his crotch. He jerked and started to ask Albedo just what the hell he was doing but was stopped once again by Albedo's mouth. It was a much more violent kiss this time and Jr. couldn't stop the panic swelling in his chest. Albedo crushed their bodies together, rubbed harder against Jr. The boy tried to fight again but found that the more he struggled the more friction his motion caused.

"Tell me where your heart lies," Albedo said, a breathless laugh escaping him as he placed his lips on Jr.'s ear. "And let me burn in your inferno, mon Rubedo."

He wasn't sure what he was shaking from anymore. He heard himself gasp and felt himself growing hot. He had to get away. His ragged breathing was met with laughter as Albedo whispered something that went unheard in his ear. There must be something, anything he could use as a weapon. His eyes scanned the lightened nave frantically until they fell on a broken candlestick. One of them must have knocked it over. It was perfect, just long enough to use from his angle. If only he could get to it. It wasn't that far away. He was having a hard time concentrating between the attention Albedo was giving him and the containment of his power.

Jr.'s gasps were driving Albedo wild. He wasn't sure how much more of this exquisite torture he could take. And how white hot were his dragon's flames, threatening to scorch him. But it wasn't the flames of his dragon's wrath that seared through him. Albedo's body lurched reflexively as something sharp tore through his abdomen and continued to rip through him until it exited through his back. A vicious laugh erupted from him. Jr. used the momentary distraction to shove the man off of him. He pushed himself up and stumbled backward toward the door. Running through the darkness toward them wouldn't be a good idea so he looked around for a moment and found one of his pistols.

"You," Jr. gasped, trying to get control of his wayward power and body, "You're not going to break me."

"Why Rubedo," Albedo chuckled. He curled his injured palm around the end of the broken candlestick lodged inside of him. "  
A sharp tug freed it from Albedo's body, tearing a hole through his stomach. As soon as it was free his body started reforming itself, weaving flesh and organs back together. "You are already broken."

Jr. could still feel the fire pounding in his system, unwilling to dim down. His body twitched and his eyes flashed occasionally. He gritted his teeth and tried to hold it all together.

"I know what's real." Jr. spat, cocking his remaining gun. Jr. felt as if he were going crazy. Albedo had kissed him before in other dreams but Jr. had always assumed it was to piss him off, throw him over the edge. He had disregarded those parts of the nightmares. The true Albedo might pull something like that but this was getting into scary territory. What had that accident done to him?

"And I know that I'm…sick. And I know that when I wake up you'll be gone." The pistol in his grip shook slightly as he spoke. "And I'll forget all about you."

"Of course Rubedo," Albedo grinned. He tossed the candlestick to the ground and took a few steps toward the boy. Jr. took a few backward at his advance, ready for his next attack. "Doubt that the silence of your mind disturbs you not. Doubt that the death of your villain doesn't make your heart bleed with the guilt of an uncontested sin. And Doubt that my presence will fade with the disillusion of your nightmare."

"Yet I remain your phantasmal incubus." He opened his arms in welcome. "Deny me. Deny my form, my mind, my existence, my body." He bowed, "Your heart is mine, dear Rubedo and I have come to claim it."

"I don't belong to you!" Jr. shouted. "You're not real!"

"My dear sweet Rubedo," Albedo cooed taking a few deadly steps toward the tortured boy. "What must I do to ease this doubt?"

The speed at which Albedo moved seemed to always catch Jr. off-guard. He didn't get the chance to dodge this time as Albedo grabbed his collar and pulled him up so that they were eye level. "If I were to bring the nails would you sacrifice me again my savior?"

Again? But Albedo was gone. The real Albedo was gone. He had to be. Jr. would never forget. And as Albedo held him there in his deadly grip he felt the fight in him dulling. So maybe it was out of pure instinct that he pressed his gun to Albedo's throat. Perhaps it was out of instinct that he threatened his brother and promised his destruction because Jr. wasn't fooling anyone anymore. Not even himself.

_It is my ghost that haunts your heart._

Jr.'s eyes widened and Albedo smiled at him. The static that had been sliding along Jr.'s mind grew louder, digging into his skull with its presence. He groaned and shuddered beneath the pain.

_I have returned for you. _

The static was horrible. It scrapped against his mind like a serrated knife tearing chunks of him apart. It was distorting his vision and making him sick to his stomach. He couldn't hear, couldn't see, couldn't think. It was paralyzing. Jr. tried to fight the feeling back. He was lost in the sensation as it painfully devoured him.

_Mon Rubedo._

It's not true. Jr. thought as he began to lose himself to the feeling. It couldn't be. He wasn't sure how much longer it was going to matter. He thought he heard Albedo's laughter from somewhere in the static but he wasn't sure. He was so desperate to hear anything else that he might've been imagining it. He was sure that Albedo was touching him when he felt a claw on his neck.

"So tell _me_, my dragon,"

Was that Albedo's voice or was it his imagination? It must have been Albedo because he felt the man's lips against his ear again as if he wanted to make sure Jr. knew it was him. As if he knew he was lost. Should there have been comfort in that? Albedo was the one hurting him, wasn't he?

"In our abysmal game who is the leader?"

Wasn't…he?

"Is it my turn to die, Rubedo?"

* * *

A/N: Well? Worth the wait? I certainly freakin' hope so. I've used a lot of symbolisim in this chapter and I usually don't like to point things out so that readers can interpret things for themselves but there are a couple of things I'd like to point out.  
*Ormus' cross is the first. Am I the only person that loves that thing? Yes? Awww...Well anyway, I described it as an inverted cross but I'm not exactly sure that it is, in fact, inverted. I described it that way as an allusion to the Cross of St. Peter and not as an Anti-Christ symbol. St. Peter was crucified upside down by request because he felt that he was not worthy to be crucified in the same position as Christ.  
*Albedo's rosary is the second. Albedo wore a necklace at the end of XII but I replaced it with a rosary for nightmare purposes. I did so because wearing a rosary around one's neck as jewelry is viewed as sacrilegious. Not by all churches mind you, but stricter ones won't be happy to see you wearing one like that.

Yeah well...I think that's about it. I'll try to update again as soon as possible but I'm not exactly sure when I'll be able to. :\  
Sorry again and I hope that everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! c:


	13. Broken

A/N: Hooray everyone! Guess who's back with another late update! Well, I guess it's actually on time for the way I've been updating. Well anyway, it's finally here!

Before we get into this I must both apologize and thank you all once again for being so patient with me. I'm very sorry that I wasn't able to respond to all of your reviews. I NEVER have free time anymore but thankfully, I'm starting to gain some of it back. This chapter is evidence!

And yep, you've all guessed it! It's that time of year! The time where I shamelessly plug my absolute favorite Xenosaga author, Aiselne Phoenix Nocturnus. All of you who do not understand her greatness must go find her now and read her own AlbedoxJr. story, Bleed White. Seriously guys, if you like what I do, you'll worship the stuff she writes. Especially you, CE. That's right, I totally just called you out. ;P

Well, now that I'm finished plugging every outlet I can find with Aiselne's amazingness (the strength of which could produce more power than a zohar emulator), let me tell you about this chapter.

The beginning section of this story takes place directly after the last chapter with Jr. still in his nightmare. The rest of the chapter is the obligatory Jr.-wakes-up-and-deals-with-his-nightmare thing. You've all read the story enough by now. You know how it goes. ;P  
We've got a lot of angst and confusion in the chapter, all on Jr.'s part of course. Why is it so much fun to torment my favorite characters? D:

Disclaimer: Anyone who says I own Xenosaga is a liar! I only wish I did.

* * *

_A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever_  
- Jessamyn West

* * *

Abnormally Attracted to Sin  
Chapter 13  
Broken

Drowning. He felt as if he were drowning. Drowning in what, he wasn't exactly sure. He knew it wasn't water. It was a thicker, heavier stuff but he could breathe it. And he knew he was breathing it because he felt it sliding down his airway like liquid malice. Though it wasn't truly palpable – at least not until it sank like lead to the lining of his lungs where it sat eagerly spreading its poison. Where it suffocated him with its pollution and had him struggling to break free. Where it drowned him in its toxic abyss.

He could feel that he was in the cathedral. Even through the grating pain of the static and the oppressive presence of the abyss he could feel it. And he could feel claws sliding along his jaw and a voice whispering to his abused mind, the sound like painful peroxide bubbling away an infection. It was a healing pain, a sweet pain – the kind that came with promises of a cure. If he would only relax into its sharp embrace and listen to its sour lullaby. If he would only give in.

But that was a lie. He knew it was a lie because the claws that held him brought blood and the lips that met his – bitter lust. The teeth sought his life. He wasn't about to give in. He strained against the scrapping pain of the white noise, struggled to gain even an ounce of leverage. He had to fight, he couldn't just submit. Albedo was the one hurting him. He was always the one hurting him. This was no different.

"I am…the leader…," Jr. choked, his tired body straining against the strength of the abyss. "And no…it's mine…"

Jr.'s vision was hazy when he finally managed to open his blue eyes. The blurry image of Ormus' cross leapt and shivered as his sight tried to focus. The darkness that had enveloped the cathedral earlier was slowly claiming the nave. What had served as Jr.'s only sanctuary during his deluded nightmare was submitting. It layered over the broken altar in tendrils and radiated up the shattered glass of the window behind it to devour the cross.

"…but I'm not going down without a fight."

His answer must have surprised the monster that held him because beyond his cage of claws Jr. felt his sickening smile. The sound grew louder, the sheer power of it pressing down like raining gravity onto his form.

"Beware your words, they display your fear."

The static chipped at what was left of his resolve and finally covered his lit up nave with onyx smoke. The only thing left visible as the abyss finally slid his heavy eyes closed was the feral pull of his brother's lips.

"Good morrow, sweet prince."

* * *

Jr. awoke screaming or trying to scream. Lungs needed oxygen in order to power a scream and even though he was beginning to get used to being deprived of the life-giving fuel, it didn't stop him from jerking straight up in his bed and greedily gasping for it. He coughed and threw himself forward, grabbing the sheet that covered his legs in one hand and gripping at the burning in his chest with the other.

His blood pounded in his ears as his lungs screamed for mercy. He opened his eyes but found that he couldn't see. Panic seized him at the discovery. He tried to call out for help but that too required oxygen his body was refusing to let in. Would anyone hear him if he could scream? Would he want anyone to hear him?

Albedo…where was Albedo? And where was he? Was he still in the cathedral? His body lurched and shook from its lack of air. That smoke, the obsidian abyss must have dragged him down after all.

_**Beware your words, they display your fear. **_

Something flashed through the darkness blanketing his vision. An electric current rushed through him, momentarily releasing whatever had a hold on him. It was enough and Jr. greedily absorbed oxygen into his weeping lungs. White spots invaded his vision as his weakened body now tried to regulate the air into his panicky lungs.

'Get up,' Jr. hissed at himself. 'Get up, wake up, and fight. Albedo's still here.'

As soon as he had thought it he heard a voice in his ear. His body froze at the touch, his ears deaf to the words and his mind ringing at the presence of a voice and of a hand on his shoulder…sliding up to his jaw and under the line of bone there. Something inside of him snapped and before he could stop himself he had brought his gun up and had it pressed against what he was sure was his monster. His finger had the trigger pulled halfway when he heard a scream,

"Jr., no!"

chaos?

Jr. felt hands on his forearm. Fingers wrapped around it and pulled his arm back right as he pressed down to fire. The sound and the flash of his bullet cleared the pitch-black cloud over his eyes and he saw for the first time since the obsidian abyss had closed them.

It was dark and the place he currently sat was soft and comfortable despite the crumbled up sheets he had slung roughly during his panic. His breathing came in hard gasps now as awareness finally found him but his wasn't the only breathing in the room. His gaze snapped to the hand around his arm and found a dark blue glove covering it. He followed the arm connect to it and found its owner standing tense and alert above him, as if Jr.'s panic had been the source of his own. When Jr.'s eyes finally met chaos' light blue ones he finally let himself relax a bit. chaos didn't relax in return, however. The boy's gaze shot over toward the side of Jr.'s bed. Bed? The variant took a moment as his eyes scanned the darkness. He knew this place. It was the Elsa's men's cabin. But what was he doing here? As he searched for an answer he found where chaos' eyes had landed.

Tony sat on the floor, bracing himself up with the palms of his hands as if he'd been knocked suddenly backwards. He stared at Jr. with wide, blue eyes. His mouth hung open slightly as his breath came out in large puffs. The realization of what just occurred slammed into Jr. as he stared at the blonde man on the floor. His gun felt heavy in his clenched hand but he didn't drop it, surprised into a stiff silence. The three of them were deathly quiet for a few more moments. The strength of chaos' grip never lessened. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Tony spoke.

"Little Master," he whispered, the shock evident in his voice as much as his eyes. "What…the hell?"

* * *

Virgil's smirk greeted Albedo. The Blue Testament was leaned against a wall, arms folded, scarred face pulled into something that mocked a smile. When Albedo materialized before him, Virgil pushed away from the wall he was against, unfolded his arms and gave the returning Testament applause.

"Crucify me," Virgil quoted, in an exaggerated fashion. He shook his head and grinned. "You're too kinky to torture."

Albedo didn't answer him. His attention was set on the red figure beside him.

"Enjoy the show, Lust?" He spoke, turning to face Kevin.

"You have broken a rule, Albedo." Kevin answered. His voice was quick and sharp when he replied. Virgil heard the edge in it and sent him a questioning glance but Kevin ignored him. "You told him that you were alive. Your game is over."

Albedo's grin was poisonous. "Playing referee, are we?"

Kevin was immune to Albedo's venom, however. He moved from his position beside Virgil and took a few steps toward Albedo warningly. Albedo felt the aura but, just as the red being was immune to his poison, Albedo was immune to blade of his threats.

"You are a Testament now. You have rules and you have to follow them. Did you forget the consequences of your actions already?"

"Did He send you?" Albedo asked.

The question caught Kevin off-guard and quickly dissolved his threatening demeanor. Albedo could feel it and nodded in understanding. "If your lord and master did not send you then what rule have I broken?"

The question more than upset the Red Testament and he angrily responded, "Summon, seek, find me?' 'I have returned for you'? Those count as admittance."

Albedo shrugged, "It was his weakness that caused him to search and his search for me began before our last act together. I am merely following his script."

"It's true."

Kevin's mask turned to Virgil, demanding an explaination. The Blue Testament crossed his arms again and regained his earlier posture. He shrugged once before continuing, "The kid was looking for Albedo earlier. He even tried to contact him through their link. He almost made himself sick over it."

Virgil nodded towards Albedo and sighed, "If he already believed that Albedo was alive and Albedo didn't come right out and admit that he was a living, breathing Testament who was watching his every movement, I don't think it counts. Wilhelm would have intervened if it had, wouldn't he?"

Kevin's irritation only grew. He glared at Albedo. The Testament returned his glare with a sneer. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers, covering his face with a white mask.

"Forgive me for ruffling your feathers, Lust. I'm sure there will be another time when you can more appropriately pick at my rotting corpse. Until then…"

Albedo waved Kevin off and walked away from the two of them, back to his crystalline seat, back to Rubedo.

* * *

Jr. sat in the Elsa's bar, head in his hands, eyes shut tight against the flow of chaos' words. He'd almost shot Tony, had almost killed him. Jr. covered his ears with his hands. chaos was lying. He had to be lying. Jr. demanded himself to think, to make sense of the previous night. He hadn't been able to sleep. chaos' words had been too much for him, had kept him up despite the alcohol in his system trying to keep him down, so he'd gotten into his hover car and had driven back to the cathedral. He'd opened the doors, he'd walked inside and he'd met…

"Albedo…"

chaos shook his head and Jr. could hear the desperation in his friend's voice. It wasn't true, his friend kept begging. Jr. cringed at the pleading in chaos' voice; pleading him to understand, to wake up, to realize. Jr. wouldn't accept it. He knew what had happened, he'd been there. As impossible as it all sounded, it was true. It had to be true! He slammed his fists down onto the counter in front of him. The action caused the bottles on either end to shake. Adonis hurriedly tried to catch the ones that fell off before they crashed.

"He was here," Jr. said. His voice was low, a shaky growl. He turned the full force of his blue eyes upwards toward his worried friend. "I was…"

He pressed his fists on the counter until his palms were flat against it. He was shaking slightly as his stare threatened to burn the material beneath his hands. chaos' voice was softer this time, slower, more cautious. The boy was careful not to touch Jr. though and the thought reminded him of what he had almost done to Tony. Disgusted, he pushed himself up. chaos grabbed his wrist to pull him back and Jr. was even more sickened by the fact that his free hand reflexively reached for his weapons.

"Jr…please listen to me."

The variant's stomach churned at the request but he didn't struggle. chaos took this as a sign of defeat and very gently, he coaxed Jr. back onto the stool he'd pushed himself away from.

"You were too tired to make it to the Durandal. You told me to take you to the cabin. Remember?"

"I've already said that I don't!" Jr. snapped. chaos saw through his anger and nodded apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Jr.," he said softly. "Please tell me what you do remember."

Jr. threw himself back onto the counter into his earlier position. He tried to stop the slight shaking his body adopted. His eyes seared the countertop as he took a deep breath.

"I remember…" he started, as he closed his eyes and tried to organize his memories. His silence was a long one but chaos didn't interrupt his thoughts. The older boy waited patiently for Jr. to continue.

"…I remember picking up Tony and Hammer. We came home and met you in the lab with Professor. You and I left and came here. I drank a little…I tried to walk to my room but I got kind of dizzy. I remember hearing you say something about walking me to my room and the next thing I remember…."

Jr. placed his head in his hands with a great sigh. "I don't really remember getting into the car or walking out of my room. I just remember standing at the cathedral's doors…"

Jr. slid his hands away from his face and placed them back onto the countertop. Why didn't he remember getting into the car? Why didn't he remember walking from his room to the shuttle? From the moment chaos' hand had pressed down on his shoulder everything was a blur. When he'd made it to the doors, he'd simply known. He'd known that he hadn't been able to sleep, and that chaos' words had kept his mind in a constant cycle.

The cathedral had haunted him so he went to end the haunting and when he'd pressed the doors open, when he had stepped inside, he'd found the very phantom he was looking for. So, in the end, did it truly matter how he'd gotten there? Did it really matter where he'd ended up? Jr. didn't think so. It didn't matter, none of it did. What mattered was that Albedo was alive. He was alive and he wanted Jr.

"…Jr.,"

Jr. shook his head. "No, chaos."

The boy didn't protest. Instead he leaned onto the counter, mirroring Jr.'s posture. He didn't want to answer any of chaos' questions. He didn't want to talk about it. What Jr. needed to do was go back to that cathedral, find Albedo and…

And what? Kill him?

The silence of Jr.'s thoughts weighed on him like a cement block on his back. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to explain something that didn't make sense, even to him? What was going on? He didn't say anything more and chaos didn't try to pry anything else out of him.

"I'm sorry."

His apology was sudden and the brittleness of his voice caused the silver-haired boy to turn his head over to Jr. The variant didn't turn to meet his gaze. He clasped his hands together on the counter and leaned down to rest his chin on them.

"I didn't mean to hurt Tony –er, I mean almost hurt him. I wasn't trying to I thought-…"

chaos noticed a bit of bitter humor in Jr.'s eyes before the variant closed them and sighed.

"But you're always around when someone's about to get hurt, aren't you? How do you do that? It's way too perfect."

"We were worried. You sounded…as if you were in pain."

The red head grimaced at the sentence. chaos noticed it and quickly, but smoothly, added, "I just happened to see you draw your gun in time. Tony should have known better than to stand so close to you."

Jr. unconsciously ran a hand over the back of his neck. He'd jerked away from the doctor when he'd tried to touch his chin too. Back then he'd wondered why he'd done it, why he had so viciously pulled back when he'd felt the doctor's hand on him. Now, as he felt his skin against the back of his neck and allowed his fingers to trail along his jaw did he realize why.

Albedo was always touching his chin, always lifting his jaw, always dangerously close to sinking his claws into the soft skin under his neck. He was always raising Jr.'s line of vision up to meet his. He was always staring him down, challenging him, taunting him.

_**How ugly is your shadow, your reflection?**_

"Would you believe me," Jr. started. He kept his eyes away from chaos and focused them on the wall in front of them. He took a deep breath and let it out before burying his face in his hands again. "If I told you that Albedo was alive, would you believe me?"

chaos didn't answer right away but Jr. hadn't expected him to. The thought wasn't a completely crazy one. Nothing could kill Albedo. Nothing except Jr., but maybe even that wasn't true. Maybe it had been an elaborate trick. Maybe Albedo had pulled that grand escape Jr. knew him capable of. Maybe he was driving Jr. crazy from some unknown fortress, waiting for Jr. to fall so that he could take advantage of his weakness. Maybe-

"You've been dreaming about him."

_**I remain your phantasmal incubus.**_

It had been a statement, not a question and Jr. felt his heart sink the way it had the night before. This time he didn't have alcohol to drown it with. He swallowed it just the same.

"Not exactly."

It was a confession without it being a true confession and Jr. knew chaos would see through his half-lie. The darker boy didn't call him on it.

"Last night you told me about a cathedral."

Jr.'s eyes moved away from the wall and finally settled on chaos. The older boy's gaze was averted this time. His face looked pained, as if whatever he was going to say would physically hurt him.

"I know the one you're talking about," he said finally. His gaze hardened on the wall and Jr. felt a chill run down his spine. He'd never seen that kind of look on chaos before.

"I've been there many times but the way you described it…is very wrong."

Jr. straightened himself up and turned to completely face chaos. The sinking feeling he had before was quickly turning into panic.

"What are you talking about?"

That was when chaos' eyes met Jr.'s and this time the variant visibly shivered.

"That cathedral isn't a miniature of Lost Jerusalem's. It was never built that way. Its style is a modern one."

chaos dropped his gaze again, his hardened features softened a bit as he considered finishing his explanation. When he brought his eyes back up to Jr., the variant found nothing but deep concern in them.

"It's the Glass Cathedral. You know it just as well as I do."

He did know about the Glass Cathedral. It was a famous cathedral, as well as a Foundation landmark. It was known for its intricate glasswork and even Jr. had admired its structure when it was first completed. But that couldn't be true, he couldn't have been there last night because that cathedral had been destroyed during the gnosis attack. It had been completely demolished. He knew it had been because he had personally read the reports stating the fact. He remembered. He remembered, he remembered, he remembered, he remembered.

"The cathedral you know isn't there."

No, no no. chaos was wrong. He had to be wrong. Jr. had been to the cathedral. He'd walked up those steps, he'd opened those doors, he'd walked inside. He remembered! He remembered the way the pillars morphed into the roof; the ribs and spine of a sleeping creature – the cracked altar like a broken heart. He remembered the shape of the stained glass windows. He remembered the inverted cross, the candles, the nave.

"Jr…."

Whatever expression Jr. was currently making must have been worrying chaos but Jr. didn't care. He didn't care about anything but that damned cathedral.

"Jr…"

He remembered the monster. The monster that hung upside-down. The monster that hung, bleeding and grinning with all the madness he could muster. He remembered. He remembered. He remembered!

"Jr.!"

But he was already off his bar stool. He ran through the bar toward the exit. The door had only just begun to slide open when he reached it and rather than wait for it to open, he squeezed through it sideways. He ran out of the ship and entered the Durandal's dock. He didn't stop, didn't slow down, didn't answer the buzzing communicator strapped to his belt. He turned a quick right and ran straight to the shuttle. The Realian at the shuttle gate stumbled to move out of his way. He paid no attention to the worried voice that followed after him and all but flew into the shuttle. As he turned to watch the machine's ramp lift up to become the door he saw chaos running from the Elsa. The boy turned his head left and right, called Jr.'s name, dialed his communicator again. Jr. felt his vibrate in response but he didn't move to silence it. He had been there, he knew he had. chaos had to be wrong. He just had to be.

Jr. was going to prove it.

* * *

"You're closer than you claim."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You defended him."

"He was playing by the rules. You can't put a player in the penalty box unless he's actually made a violation. That's not very fair, is it?"

Kevin didn't answer. Virgil didn't care. The Blue Testament took his usual position as he leaned against a far wall, out of Albedo's sight. He didn't need to hide and wasn't trying to but unlike Albedo, Virgil didn't enjoy watching the kid's every breath. He needed a break from the both of them.

"What is fair?"

Kevin's voice was smooth but Virgil was sure he heard the waver in it. It was a rhetorical question, more of a statement than anything else. Virgil chuckled. It was a hateful thing and gained Kevin's attention.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" He sneered from behind his mask. "She'll know soon enough and then you'll have everything you wanted."

Kevin continued his stony silence. Virgil leaned himself forward a little.

"Unless it's not her?"

Virgil could feel the glare he received as a response.

"Oh come on," Virgil sighed. He pushed himself off of his crystalline wall. He threw his arms up in an exasperated fashion and took a few steps toward the Red Testament. "Like it's a big secret. You can't hide it."

Virgil crossed his arms and nodded toward Albedo.

"Wilhelm's not your friend. He doesn't care what happens to you. Hell, he doesn't care what happens to Albedo. Can't you see it? He's practically destroying himself and it's all thanks to the permission Wilhelm gave him. He's a pawn on Wilhelm's chess board, we all are."

Kevin watched as Virgil dropped his arms to his sides. The snarky tone in his voice was gone. It had changed into something hard and cold. The Blue Testament seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing.

"You can be as jealous or envious or whatever the hell you want but if those are the kinds of gifts he gives out, I don't want any part of them."

It was true. The price Albedo was paying for his blessing was too high. He was going to either kill the kid or drive him insane. He wasn't going to get what he wanted. The rules to his game wouldn't allow it. If Albedo loved his brother the way he claimed then he would never have subjected him to this monstrous situation. Love couldn't be selfish. It didn't work that way, could never work that way. He'd destroy both of them if he kept this up. Kevin wouldn't have to lift a finger.

If he had been given that chance, Virgil wouldn't have taken it.

The Red Testament's silence wasn't a surprise. Virgil hadn't expected him to pay attention to anything he had said. When Kevin proved him wrong by speaking it really was a surprise.

"Who are you trying to convince?"

Kevin's mask turned from Virgil and moved back to Albedo's still form.

"Me or yourself?"

* * *

It was raining that morning. It wasn't a hard rain, but it wasn't a light one either. Jr. had been soaked before he had made it to the steps.

The Foundation was self-sustaining and its weather was preset to support that. If Jr. had stopped to check, he would have known that it was going to rain this morning. If Jr. had cared, he might have grabbed an umbrella. If Jr. had cared at all, he might have changed the weather. One day of missed rain wasn't going to throw the Foundation into decline.

But he didn't. Jr. didn't care about anything.

The hover car had taken him to the exact point he had been the night before. If he'd turn his head, he'd see the building Hammer had sailed into and Tony's hover bike lying dead at the end of the sector's street. He didn't have to, didn't need to because the truth was staring him in the face.

Rain pounded into the demolished top of the Glass Cathedral. The building's entire roof seemed to have caved in, as if someone had personally stomped it in until there was nothing left. The magnificent spires that had shimmered in the artificial sunlight were nonexistent. Its windows were in no better shape. Many were shattered, some of the fragments had even fallen to gather on the steps and crunched under Jr.'s boots as he made his way forward. The sliding door was stuck half open and from there the devastated insides were visible as they glistened and sparkled under the gray morning sunlight.

Jr. didn't understand. None of this made any sense. As his right boot crunched the glass on the top step his eyes shot over towards the side of the door where he remembered the plaque to be.

'Nil desperandum', it had read. Do not despair.

There was a plaque. Jr. stared at it for a moment as if to make sure his vision wasn't lying to him. It was still there? He stepped closer to it, ran his fingers over it. The words were wet and cold beneath his touch. The whole cathedral was cold and gave him the impression of an ice box. If he did not care, he might have laughed at the thought. God's house was supposed to be warm and inviting but this sanctuary was nothing but a demolished freezer intent on turning all who entered into solid blocks of ice. But he did care, and the words beneath his fingers did more to freeze the hot blooded redhead than any freezer ever could.

And fear not them which kill the body  
but are unable to kill the soul;  
but fear him which is able to kill both body and soul  
in Hell

Jr. snatched his hand back as if he had been burned. His eyes fell straight onto the open door way and as of their own volition, his legs were carrying his body into the very place he was denying existed. The broken glass crunched and cracked under his footsteps as Jr. made his way in. There was no vestibule. There were no ribbed vaultings or broken altar. There were no candles or stained glass windows. There was nothing but broken glass and broken pews. Jr. looked up and found no cross, only the broken mechanics of a modern rood screen as the barrier flickered and sparked desperately to separate the nave from the chancel. It was beyond the screen that Jr. found a podium and behind the podium, that he found a crystalline cross.

It were as if he were in a trance. Nothing seemed real. He refused to believe that it was. It couldn't possibly be. This cathedral was his dream. He'd wake up in the one he had traversed last night, pinned under Albedo's claws and his insane smile. His legs had a mind of their own as they lead him toward the sculpture. The further he stepped, the more he began to wonder which reality he would rather have.

Jr. made his way around the podium to stare up at the cross. It was easily three times his height but could have once been taller. Jr. noticed, as his eyes landed on its top, that a few inches had been removed by whatever had made the rest of the cathedral's damage.

Maybe it was being inside of the cathedral he claimed didn't exist. Maybe it was the weak sunlight and the rain that was thoroughly soaking him, ensuring that he'd catch a cold thanks to the frozen abbey and the preprogrammed weather circuits. Maybe it was the way the water poured over the cross and slid down into its many cracks and scratches to flood the once magnificent cathedral. Whatever it was, it was the last straw. Jr.'s strength left him and he found himself on his knees before the crystal cross.

It was true. It was all true. There was no ancient cathedral. He hadn't gotten in to his hover car. He hadn't gotten out and he hadn't opened the door. He hadn't walked inside and he hadn't met his demon. He ran a shaky hand through his wet red hair. As he brought it back down the red flash of his tattoo caught his eyes. 666.

"_**I know what's real," **_he had hissed at his monster.

Jr.'s open palm closed into a fist.

"_**Of course,"**_ had been his response.

The rain picked up and pounded down onto the exposed cathedral's insides. Jr. didn't move. He kept his eyes on the floor where the pieces of the chipped cross had landed.

"_**You're not going to break me."**_

He'd been answered with a venomous smirk.

"_**Why Rubedo, you are already broken."**_

* * *

A/N: Oh no! It was trap! No, it wasn't a trap but it looks like Jr.'s finally starting to fall apart. Why in the world does that make me happy? I'm a sick freak! D: I admit it!  
Next chapter coming up will be wrapped around the concept of one of the seven deadly sins. I bet none of you will be able to figure out which one~!  
Thanks for hanging in there, guys. Hope you enjoyed it. ;P

You know how it goes:  
Reviews are my muse, so inspire it up people!:D


	14. Meus

**A/N:** Dear sweet Zombie Jesus, I live! D:  
That's right my loyal followers, I have arisen from the dead to post a chapter!  
This chapter gave me an extremely hard time. While it's true that the area of the US I live in was devastated by tornadoes (my house was fine though so nobody worry!), I can't truly use that as an excuse for a late update because I have been working on this thing every little moment I could spare! And I'm just now getting it done!

**Pathetic Excuses:** The direction I had been originally planning to take this chapter didn't seem to fit, and so I had to fix that. Fixing it turned into something completely different, and something completely different turned into how in the world did I get here? How in the world did I get here quickly turned into screw it, I'll just redo the whole thing!

…hooray! :D Redone. But that is not even the end of the crazy ride I had with this freaking thing.  
The chapter that was going to be updated turned into 10,000 words and felt very awkward, so (as always) I tried to slice it in half. That left one slice a bit lacking however so I tried to fit a flashback in the gap in order to even the field. The flashback turned into 6,000 words and that is what we now have. XD

So basically, I have this chapter done, one to edit before it can be posted, and one unfinished. So at least it won't be too much longer before I can update again. XD

In truth, the flashback you have before you now is one that I've been wanting to write since I started this story. I had originally planned for it to occur later and for it to be a loooot shorter, but I am crazy and very unpredictable. Forgive me.

**Dedicated to:** Xealotte (formerly CE412), if not for her I probably wouldn't have gotten the idea to write this flashback so early on. She offhandedly mentioned that she wondered if Margulis or Sellers gave Albedo a reason to focus/fight. "It's all somebody's fault." XDDD The inclusion of the flashback so early was supposed to be a surprise shout out to her but it…kinda…got out of control… Forgive me, my devotee! D:

And just as I plugged the unlimited amazingness of my great **Aiselne** into every socket, I have another author to plug (I need more outlets! D: )

**Xealotte's **own AlbedoxJr., _**Ripping and Dragging**_ is just marvelous (not to mention she updates waaaay faster than I do)! If you like what I do, you've got to check her out.

**THANK YOU:** To every single one of you who reviewed the last chapter. Especially **Dizasteriffic**, who has been a returning reviewer for a while now, despite my update speed. C: I am extremely sorry that I was not able to answer every review but please know that I thoroughly appreciate the feedback. It makes all of the late nights and countless hours of sneaking around at work to find a place to write worth it. ;P

**And also to** the band Framing Hanley and their song, "Hear Me Now". It was the inspiration for Jr.'s Glass Cathedral scene as well as Albedo's Pleroma Abbey scene. I doubt I would have written them without that song.

**Timeframe:** This flashback takes place while Albedo is working for U-TIC and a few years before we see him for the first time at Pleroma. His experience here is meant to contrast a little with Jr.'s Glass Cathedral.

**Warning:** Wilhelm! D: (Again?)

**Disclaimer: **Obviously the characters do not belong to me. The plot does though! The ridiculous plot that makes no sense whatsoever. C:

*Meus means "my" in Latin. Just in case anyone was wondering. C:

* * *

_We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken._  
-Fydor Dostoevsky

* * *

Abnormally Attracted to Sin  
Chapter 14  
Meus

It was warm here. The kind of warmth that made one calm. The kind of warmth that quieted a child or breathed clarity into the mind. It was the kind of warmth that made one feel safe. Albedo laughed. Pleroma wasn't a place for safety. His boots made a dull echo as he walked the smooth carpet. Despite this small structure's warmth, it certainly seemed like it was deserted of the one the soldiers called God.

The tiny church was empty. It usually was. The soldiers of U-TIC were far too busy to worship. The creation of the walkway above it must have been made with that in mind. A devout soldier might find peace in the sight of the cross and the altar beneath him. Albedo only saw a sharp pendulum heavy and ready to slice into the next unsuspecting worshipper.

Gray walls and empty pews stared silently at the variant as he made his way toward the altar. What did this place want of him? Did the monstrous Margulis wish for him to become a zealot? It would certainly make things easier for them, wouldn't it? If Albedo believed, he'd cooperate. The echo of his steps stopped as he stood in front of the giant symbol of Ormus. There was only one thing that Albedo believed in.

The thought of him made Albedo's insides burn and he laughed. A sharp, devastating thing that sliced through the thick air. His lungs emptied itself of oxygen and the variant sucked in another breath before letting lose another, louder version. It was too much! Too outrageous, too ridiculous! To think that he cared for anyone! Anything! Tears sprung from his eyes as his laughter ripped him apart. He grinned and wiped the moisture from his purple eyes as he took in the sight of the cross and the altar beneath it. The blood in his veins boiled, thrummed with that powerful energy. It was practically evaporating off of him as he stood, taking in the sight. It seemed that even the thought of his sweet Rubedo stirred the dark waves inside of him. He liked that.

The altar before him was bare save for the white sheet that covered it. A raised partition was the only thing that separated it from the cross. On either side of the cross stood two solid stone statues. Albedo had never given them much thought before but as he inched closer he could make out their shape. It was their saint, the one they were always going on about. There were two on each side, one on top of the other, as if to correspond with each side of the sharpened cross. The golden tree that sprouted from its top shimmered in the dim lighting, silently reminding the boy of where he was. The dangerous points of the cross contrasted with the soft expression of their so called holy saint. Albedo wondered what she would think of all of this. The very thought made him grin. He walked up to the altar and grabbed a fist full of the sheet. Did they think they could hide their black sins beneath a white sheet? That their god, their saint would be blind to the crimson liquid they ruthlessly collected? Under sheet as thin, as transparent as the very lies they told themselves as they kneeled before this exact same altar? Albedo's fist tightened on the coverlet as he glowered at the offensive thing. What was it that they prayed for beneath their pendulum cross and over their black, bloodstained altar? What was it that they prayed for beneath the soft eyes of their holy saint and the greed of their patriarch?

"I know what you pray for."

The voice surprised Albedo a bit. He hadn't heard the footsteps of anyone behind him or of anyone on the stone bridge above him.

"Do you?" Albedo asked with a grin. This voice was an unfamiliar one. It lacked the ever-present authority of Margulis and (no matter how silent one was on foot) Albedo was certain that Sellers wouldn't have been able to surprise him.

"How very presumptuous."

Albedo's words were laced with poison. His fist uncurled from the fabric and let it fall, wrinkled and uneven, against the stone. So then, it must be a soldier.

"Tell me what it is that I pray for."

Albedo got that every once in a while. A new recruit, a young believer yet naïve to the ways of U-TIC, or Ormus. Did they think they could save him? Perhaps they held the same foolish hope that Margulis held. The very hope the Patriarch did not. Albedo certainly hoped that this soldier had come looking for a fight. His purple eyes traced the smooth walls to land back on the saint and her peaceful visage. This church could certainly use some red to go with the painful white of their sins.

"Your brother."

How bold. Albedo turned to face the speaker. Very few people knew of Rubedo and those who did were apt to keep their mouths closed. He was more than eager to correct this speaker. Though the moment that Albedo had turned to face him, he found that it was not one of God's foolish followers. No, he was not a soldier at all.

The man that had spoken stood in the middle of the central aisle, eyes downcast. One hand was held behind his back, the other hung loosely by his side. The suit he wore was completely black save for the breast, collar, and sleeves where blue, white and gold made an appearance. His skin was white. Not the pale white of an albino but the solid, sheer white of a moon at its highest point. A pure white strand of hair curled delicately in front of his face. When he finally raised his eyes they were scarlet, the bright scarlet of freshly spilled blood. Albedo new instantly that this man was not one of Ormus' dogs. His grin turned sinister. How interesting.

"I have many brothers," The variant answered.

"You have only one twin."

Albedo snarled, his anger flared at the mention of his other half. This man knew more than the variant would have liked. The man remained unperturbed by Albedo's show of anger. He didn't smile, his eyes didn't show fright. His features remained blank and…expectant.

"What do you know of him?"

The man moved but to Albedo, it seemed as if the very room shifted. As if the floor, the carpet, the pews, the walls, the very whole of Pleroma itself moved for him. The thought made Albedo very uneasy. This man was no ordinary man. Just exactly how did this being know Rubedo? The thought of this man possibly harming his dragon flashed across his mind. His body tensed and his heart pounded, awakening the beast inside of him and causing it to ghost along his skin.

"Nothing of him, truly," the man answered. He raised his red eyes to the cross behind Albedo.

"I know that he is very important to you. I am also aware of the fact that the way you yearn for him is very…abnormal for a brother."

Albedo snickered at that. "Abnormalities, dear stranger?" He straightened his body, purple lines of electric power flitting from one muscle to the next over his form. "Come now, and allow me to present to you the very definition of abnormality."

A small bit of interest flitted across the being's blank expression. Albedo's grin turned vicious.

"Acceptance, dear stranger?"

"Intrigue," he answered. "Your power is of terrible strength. However, I have not come to test it."

Albedo's body did not relax and his power remained visible as U-DO jumped from one part of him to the next. His grin softened but the heat of his gaze did not.

"Then what is this desire? Come to quell me? Request my obedience from the secrets of my treasure? Have my dragon and I'll require your life."

White eyebrows arched very slightly with a hint of mock surprise.

"I don't have your brother. He is not my captive. I'm afraid that I have never had the pleasure of meeting him."

Albedo was unconvinced. He held back against the waves in his system as he tried to break this man apart. He couldn't destroy him just yet, not if he had information about his Rubedo. The man blinked his white lashes and focused his startling eyes onto the URTV. Albedo felt himself flinch momentarily and the feeling igniting even more anger into his already awakened body.

"Speak to him," he said simply. "Surely he can dissuade you from any misconception you may hold toward me."

The statement stung. Albedo hadn't spoken to his twin in six years. Their link, the connection between their minds was weak from lack of use. The more distance between them, the easier it was for their connection to be lost. Without their constant communication and the waves of U-DO clouding Albedo's mind, Rubedo's mind had become silent. Searching for him was difficult as well and Albedo knew without even scanning his open connection that Rubedo's end was closed off. Albedo's fists tightened and his eyes turned threatening toward the creature in front of him. Had he known even this?

Even with Rubedo's mind closed, Albedo could feel him. He was alive and his mind was still strong. Perhaps this man wasn't lying. His grin was a strained thing as he stared him down.

"Ah, but I would much prefer to speak with you, mysterious stranger."

The man closed his eyes as his smooth, pale lips turned slightly upward at the corners.

"I am glad."

Albedo had always been skilled at reading a person, exceptionally skilled. He could tear a person apart with a simple utterance. But when this man gazed at him with his cold smile and disturbing red eyes Albedo's thoughts seemed jumbled and confused, as if he were trying desperately to make sense of a puzzle with missing pieces. The man took a step forward, his footsteps echoing against the walls of the church. Albedo watched every step he took, growing tenser and more alert as he made his way forward.

"Tell me," he spoke. His voice was deep and sharp amongst the silence of Pleroma's dark abbey. "What is it that you desire from this universe?"

His footsteps stopped, the distance between them now cut in half. Only three pews separated their bodies. Albedo disliked the closeness.

"Currently," Albedo replied. The hiss in his voice would have sent any other man a few steps backward. This one remained in place, attentive if blank. "Your demise."

The delicate smile returned and the man appeared slightly amused by the variant's response.

"I'm afraid that will be as difficult as asking for your own."

So he wasn't human. The power bursting through his frame lessened as his curiosity grew but he didn't let his guard slip. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. Albedo laughed silently at the thought. Too bad neither of them could die.

"But I find that the difficulty of such a request hasn't stopped you from wishing for it. In fact," The man nodded towards the cross behind him. "I believe you were praying for that very thing before I so rudely interrupted you."

The creature's eyes landed on the wrinkled altar cloth behind Albedo.

"Death," he said. He said it with wonder, with curiosity and maybe, Albedo thought, with a bit of awe. "To many humans it is something that should be feared. It is the ending of their cycle of life and in the end perhaps it is justified. Who knows what exists outside of this life?"

His eyes shifted along the contours of the cross behind him, looking almost through Albedo as he spoke.

"That fear is what drives them to pray. The fear of the unknown and the fear of the people they care for falling into that unknown. But your fear seems quite different."

He stopped again and set his scarlet gaze on Albedo once again. The madman felt himself flinch underneath it. He resisted the urge to take a step backward and answered his gaze with a glare of his own.

"What is it that has you praying for the very death that humans wish to be spared from? Is it also fear?"

Vampiric was the only way to describe this man. His body was too calm, his movements too sure and Albedo was almost certain that if his smile was only an inch larger he'd see the points of fangs between those pale lips. There was a wisdom that he held in his stance and in every motion he made, one that belied the youth of his appearance, as if his aging had simply ceased millennia ago.

Albedo's body was tensed so hard that his muscles were sore. Waves danced on the tips of his fingers but Albedo's vampire didn't seem very disturbed.

"Is it demise that you pray for?"

Blood did not pulse beneath that pale skin of his and any that he consumed must have gone to feed the startling color in his eyes. He was handsome, he was charming and he drew in his prey effortlessly. But Albedo was just as handsome. Albedo was just as charming.

"The poison in my blood will only dissolve your sensitive palate, vampire."

If this vampire was wishing for his blood, he'd be sorely disappointed. The man nodded; as if that was the exact answer he had been hoping for.

"Of course," he said.

The creature walked closer, taking leisurely steps toward the variant. Albedo watched him, monitored every motion. If this being were to attack then it would be smooth, fast, and Albedo had to be ready. But he didn't. Instead, he walked past the young variant to the altar and raised his head up to the cross. Albedo turned to face him, constantly wary.

"Then perhaps it is freedom?" He asked suddenly.

"What does an immortal know of freedom?"

And then he chuckled. It surprised the boy a bit and he glared at the being. The man closed his eyes, smile still on his lips.

"Questions consume you," Albedo said. His vicious grin returned and he stood a little straighter. "They wear you like a suit. Why not shed your skin and answer to mine?"

The being considered it, tilted his head and turned to face Albedo.

"What is it that you wish for?"

"My wish is the realization of your wish."

"Forgive me, dear genie, I mistook you for a vampire."

"Albedo," the creature spoke and Albedo's grin turned hard and threatening. He had never given this monster his name. "I know what you wish for."

The creature nodded toward the cross.

"I know what it is they say to encourage your obedience."

Just who and what was this creature? If Albedo was mistaken and he was simply an Ormus agent, then it would be easy for him to know Albedo's name. Only Sellers or Margulis dared to tame him with the promise of a reward. With the promise of Rubedo.

"You want your brother," he continued. "He is the only one who can grant your freedom."

It was a crazy thought that this man, this creature could deliver him the very thing he wanted. The very thing he craved. The very thing that he had wished for, had dreamed of, had an absolute need for. It was even crazier that this man understood what Rubedo could do, what Albedo wanted him to do. Something inside Albedo broke apart. The desperate child inside of him screamed, begged for this monster to give him his dream.

"And what is it," Albedo said, his voice was thick and slightly higher than it had been earlier. "What payment do you seek for this most generous gift?"

The creature shook his head slightly, causing the white curl framing his face to swing a bit.

"Nothing."

Albedo laughed. The same twisted, dark, painful laughter that strangled the breath from a person and sent the walls vibrating with the waves of madness.

"Seduce me with words, beast," he cried amongst the noise of his laughter. "Please my ears, excite my mind! Tease me, however…"

Albedo closed the distance between them, his body alive with the feeling of U-DO and his eyes as sharp as daggers. His smile sliced through the waves surrounding him. The creature was small in stature, smaller than he had seemed and when Albedo closed in on him, he was even more delighted to find that he stood a few inches over him. He leaned his head a bit toward the vampire and whispered

"…and I shall show you how very…'disobedient' I can become."

The man didn't flinch, didn't even move to blink his eyes. His breathing remained even and his expression blank. His eyes stared straight into Albedo's.

"Perhaps it is your blood that I wish for. It is only through your death that my wish will be realized."

That seemed to interest the madman. He raised his head back from the creature.

"Then come, vampire, and drink until your belly is full and your porcelain skin is stained crimson! Come, for I contain myself no longer. What keeps you?"

He blinked white eyelashes and turned his head a bit, studying the wrinkles of the altar's sheet. The silence was thick between them, as thick as Albedo's blatant distaste for the immortal before him. The man wasn't scared, wasn't intimidated, and wasn't hesitating. Albedo got the feeling that he wasn't even searching for an answer. He had come here for a reason, had sought Albedo out for a reason and knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"I would like to propose something."

"Marriage, dear vampire?" Albedo leaned in close again, his eyes predatory. "Down on your knee then and present to me your rings."

The creature didn't seem to notice that their bodies were mere inches apart. He didn't seem to notice how dangerous Albedo's grin was. The only sign he gave at all that he had been paying attention to the bio weapon in front of him was a subtle lift of his lips.

"Marriage? A union between two souls?"

His red eyes remained on the cloth. Albedo could barely see the color of them under the pure white of his eyelashes. Medici had once said that the eyes were the windows to one's soul but Albedo could see nothing through this panel of bloodstained glass.

"Quite impossible," he said through his grin. "I think you'll find that we are both lacking one."

"Soulless…perhaps." The rhythm of his voice implied that he had been thinking about Albedo's last comment. The variant knew better. The man continued, eyes still focused away.

"Whether we are with them, or whether we are without them, I don't think that it will matter. Not much."

The air around them was still for a long moment as Albedo studied him, tried to pick him apart, tried to understand this creature in front of him.

"What do you want of me?" Albedo asked finally.

"I merely wish to assist you."

Albedo's laughter had enough force behind it to hurt.

"A comedic as well? Is there nothing you can't become, dear vampire?"

Albedo was against him now, so close that the being could feel his breath against his face and hear the pounding of his broken heart.

"I see through your phases, shape shifter. There is no safety in illusion here. Your logic is backwards and your assistance means my enslavement. Why would I bow before you?"

"Because we both want the same thing. And because I have something better than a ring to offer you."

The man raised his eyes from the cloth and set the full force of them on Albedo. The variant flinched momentarily but regained his predatory composure in an instant, matching his expressionless gaze with the heat of his own.

"Oh? Then deliver it."

The creature's eyes shifted instantly from Albedo to something behind him. The madman hesitated, confused by the monster's eyes and unwilling to turn his back to him. But the being's eyes shifted back to Albedo and with a gentle lift of his chin, motioned for him to turn around. Albedo bristled at the command but there was something in the movement that had him curious. He took a step back from the being and his empty emotions and spun around to see what had held his attention.

What was left of his heart instantly sank.

Everything stopped. All of his senses froze like a halted machine. He was blind, deaf and dumb to anything and anyone around him. For a few moments, even the presence of the creature didn't bother him. His body was paralyzed, a block of ice in the warmth of a dark abbey. The fire of U-DO was extinguished instantly and the only thing left moving, making any sort of reaction was the feverish pounding of his heart.

That was until his lungs decided to follow suit and in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible he whispered,

"Rubedo?"

It had to be. It must be. There was absolutely no way it couldn't be. He had his back to him and the clothing he wore was very different from what Albedo had last seen him in. He wore a coat, a black one that was so long that it almost swept the floor, stopping at the top of the boy's heels. The collar was high and covered his entire neck, hiding Rubedo's form and shape from him. The very thought had Albedo in doubt. It could be something else in that coat, something else resembling his most beloved brother.

But the color of his hair, his stature, even his posture screamed Rubedo. He even gave off the same aura as his other half.

The image in front of him turned his head at the sound of his name. It was a quick and curious action, one where the listener glanced over his shoulder in order to find the person callling for them. The high collar of his coat hid the shape of his lips but Albedo caught the profile of the being in front of him, and of his blue eyes. His endlessly deep blue eyes that widened with excitement at the sight of him.

Albedo's heart was on overdrive. 'It's not real,' something inside of him whispered. 'It's couldn't be,' something else voiced. Both thoughts curled around his mind, trying to gain his attention, but Albedo pointedly ignored them because the image in front of him was moving.

It was a way only Rubedo would move. He spun around, a cocky, proud twisting motion that made his coat sway around him like a cape. It made him appear magnificent, made him stand eleven feet taller, grabbed every eye in the room.

Rubedo made a noise, something akin to a chuckle and shook his head. When Albedo remained frozen, he rolled his eyes and sighed, the way he would do when Albedo did something that he found absolutely stupid.

Albedo didn't know what to do. He could only blink in utter surprise at the image before him. Then, in a quick motion that shocked Albedo all the more, Rubedo extended his hand toward his twin. It was a welcoming gesture and the younger twin found himself growing dizzier at the scene. 'It's not real,' it whispered again. 'He hates you,' its companion agreed.

Albedo didn't care.

Albedo embraced the rampant beating of his heart. He liked the way it pounded against him, forced the blood to move so hard that it threatened the integrity of his veins. They would grow back.

The creature wasn't wrong. They promised him. They promised him constantly. But it had been years, an eternity as far as he was concerned, and all he had on Rubedo was information.

The make of his coat and the insignia on it belonged to the Kukai Foundation, as did his alias. Gaignun Kukai Jr. was the recently adopted son of Gaignun Kukai, successor to Soze Kukai and director of the foundation. Well, at least Nigredo wasn't alone, Albedo had thought with a sneer.

But that didn't matter right now. It didn't matter when Rubedo was standing in this godforsaken abbey, with his arm outstretched and a smirk playing on his perfect lips. It didn't matter that the being had claimed to have never met Rubedo. Albedo didn't even care that there was no probability of Rubedo being convinced to receive him so warmly.

The younger twin wasn't sure how long it had been since he had drawn a breath, but it was far too long for a normal mortal to have survived. He took a cautious step toward him and Rubedo shook his hand a bit with impatience. The look on his face seemed to ask Albedo why he had to be so dramatic about everything. His heart continued its violent assault in the cage of his chest as he took another step. His lungs remained still. Albedo stared at Rubedo a moment longer, took him in one more time.

It didn't matter.

Finally he raised his own arm toward his brother and found it almost funny how much taller he was. Rubedo never changed, would never change. He reached out to him until his fingertips were hovering over Rubedo's. But when he pressed down to take his hand something went wrong. The moment Albedo's hand met his skin it began to dissolve. Panic seized him and by the time Albedo's eyes rose to meet his twin's face, he was gone.

Gone. He was gone.

Albedo stared where his Rubedo had been. His heart stopped, as silent as his lungs had been. His surroundings finally wavered back into existence. The oppression of the abbey placed its weight back down on him. The saint smiled mockingly down on him, her pendulous cross prepared and ready to fall.

Albedo stared at his hand, the one that had touched Rubedo. The red of his numbers glared back at him: 667. Dizziness consumed him and he found himself on his knees without realizing it. His mind hummed with laughter; screaming laughter, shouting laughter. But he remained still, quiet, and transfixed on his hand, on the spot Rubedo had stood.

If he hadn't touched him…what would have happened if he hadn't touched him?

Albedo's ears pricked at the sound of the creature's shoes on the floor. The sound was audible even amongst the screaming of his mind. Albedo didn't move. He didn't turn around to watch the being move toward him. He didn't bristle, he didn't flinch, he didn't attack. He simply sat - a creature on the border of dream and reality - and let him approach. What did he have to fear? What reason did he have to care?

Rubedo…

"I'm sorry to disappoint you."

His voice was a smooth, hypnotizing thing that stuck to Albedo's mind like syrup. The words clung to his thoughts, dripped down and became nothing. It made him wonder if he was simply imagining the creature as well.

"But there is no safety in illusion here."

A sentence like that should've challenged Albedo, should've caused him to leap up and fight. It should've, but it didn't. He remained on his knees, eyes trained on the numbers on his hand.

"I wonder," the being continued. Albedo felt him behind him now as he spoke. "Is freedom what you truly want?"

Albedo's white hair threw dark shadows over his features. He didn't look up at the creature to respond. He knew what he was hinting at but Rubedo would never accept him. Albedo couldn't stand the thought of living without his twin. He was his everything and even though Rubedo didn't want anything to do with him, he was still alive. It would be easier to convince Rubedo to destroy him than to accept him.

Albedo's eyes traced the red of his numbers over and over again until he was certain his very eyes would bleed from overuse. And even if he did accept him, Rubedo wouldn't live forever. So…if he had one wish…

"Destroy me, demon."

Albedo decided that he no longer cared who or what this creature was. Whatever he was, he had a plan. Albedo would need one if he was going to anger his dragon enough to destroy him.

Rubedo wouldn't miss him anyway.

He wasn't sure what he expected from the monster. The demon had been immovable their entire time together. In truth, Albedo didn't care. He seemed quite content to stay on his knees, bent over his hand and numbers.

"In time."

Albedo heard his footsteps again. They were loud and blasted through the sudden silence of the church like no explosion could.

"But do not despair," he spoke. His voice was full of that charm, the kind used to seduce his prey. The very charm that fed the color of his eyes. "We have all the time in the world."

Albedo clenched his hand, hiding the red of his numbers beneath his fingers.

"Demon…" he started, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say. His voice sounded small in the darkness of the abbey, a shadow of his earlier ferocity. He didn't particularly mind, didn't care about much actually.

Albedo couldn't see the monster's face and couldn't be bothered to turn around and look. He didn't hear the weight of his footsteps as he had earlier but he could feel him retreating. He wasn't exactly sorry to feel him depart, but wasn't elated either. His body was paralyzed and his antidote nowhere to be found. His voice had vanished and he sat, demolished, mute and slightly confused. The demon's presence was slow to fade and Albedo felt it all the more for its sluggish speed.

"I look forward to watching your performance," he said as the last of him finally left the abbey.

"Until our next act, Monsieur Piazzolla."

And then true silence reigned. Albedo was left alone on the floor of the small abbey. The warmth of it wrapped around him like an empty embrace, heavy and limp against his shoulders. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt sick, truly sick. Feverish and dazed he watched as blood trickled from his closed fist. He wondered if it was strange that he couldn't feel it. Not that it mattered. His body would never run out of the liquid and the haze over his mind had nothing to do with the crimson streams dripping from his hand.

He ached. Every cell in his body ached and felt weary. He tilted his head and dug his nails deeper into his skin to watch that lovely color slide down his hands and drip onto the warm gray floor. The silence in his mind was painful, cut into his skull like no blade could. He hated it, the quiet. Even the waves of madness inside of his eternal body were dazed and unwilling to move.

So quiet…it was too quiet. Rubedo…

Albedo blinked at the feeling of something on skin. He shook his head a bit and the feeling multiplied. He blinked again at the sensation, this time in surprise. How long had it been? He unclenched his hand and let it fall to his side as he laughed. It had started as a chuckle but soon it was so powerful that it shook him. He couldn't contain himself. The laughter consumed him in waves so strong that it hurt. The pain of it caused him to laugh even harder. The sound destroyed the silence, ripped it apart and assaulted the walls of the abbey with its remains. He pressed himself up from the ground and screamed his laughter. How long had it been since he'd felt tears? They streamed down his face now as he laughed, as he bent over from it, stumbled backwards because of it. It brought the waves inside of him to life, the glow of it a frightening harmony to his vicious cries.

"Can you hear me?" He screamed. He threw his head back to the ceiling of Pleroma and shouted between sharp breaths, "Can you hear me now, Rubedo?"

He squirmed under the strength of his sound until his leg bumped into the corner of the altar. His laughter died down to giggles as he studied it for a moment. It was much the same as it had been before. The corner of it remained wrinkled from where he had last grabbed it. He smiled at it and grabbed a fistful of it. His hand had healed itself before he'd stood from the ground but the blood was still fresh and soaked through the white of the cloth between his fingers. Oh, this was perfect! His grip tightened and he smiled. 'In time,' the demon had said. How amazing, how delightful! Did it truly matter if the vampire wanted his blood? Not as long as Rubedo was the one to spill it. The white of the cloth was drenched in his blood as Albedo pulled more of it away from the altar. It only made sense. He had begun life with Rubedo, it only seemed fitting that he would end it with him as well. His alpha and his omega.

His heart was restless. U-DO thrummed through his body, turned his purple eyes red until the only word in his mind, in his vocabulary was his brother's name. He grinned upward at the hanging pendulum and at the saints surrounding it. She didn't seem as eager to slice him after all.

"Speak demon," he whispered. His voice sounded heavy and slightly hoarse from the power of his laughter. "Preach to me your blackened gospel."

He received no answer but he was certain that his demon could hear him. He had left Albedo with no instruction, no guidelines and no rules. He was on his own for the most part. He wasn't worried. He doubted that this would be their last meeting. A demon and a phantom would make a lovely duet. Perhaps their tune would draw in a dragon. Certainly it would. Then Albedo would set the stage with his solo.

"Hey!"

For the second time that day Albedo turned around to find someone standing behind him. This time he found a soldier, two of them actually. One stood a few steps behind the first, mumbling something to his comrade but he didn't seem to be listening. Albedo's grin returned sharp and dangerous at the sight. Just what he had wanted.

"Got a problem?"

Albedo didn't answer.

The soldiers wore their helmets at all times. It was extremely rare to find one without one. Albedo was familiar with most of their voices and recognized the hesitant one but couldn't place the brash one. A new recruit, a blind man following the sound of his god. He had yet to realize that he was following a false one and yet to realize just what sort of monster he was speaking to.

"This is a place for peace. People come to worship here. I'm not sure if a monster like you can comprehend something like that," he said as he took a brave step forward. His companion did not follow. Smart. He had been here long enough to know better, unlike the foolishly loud one who didn't seem to notice how very deep he was sinking. "But we can all hear you, so you can either shut your mouth or I can shut it for you."

"Let's just go," the hesitant man said quietly. "We've still got to make our rounds. Commander Margulis won't like this."

"We were making our rounds when we heard this freak."

"He's just a kid."

"He's not a kid." The man looked Albedo up and down. "Are you?"

Albedo heard the smirk in his voice and absorbed it eagerly. Oh yes, he liked this one.

"We're wasting time," Hesitance said, his voice was harsher than before and he seemed thoroughly irritated, if not afraid. "You don't know what you're talking about. Let's just go. He's not doing anything wrong."

"That's not what they say in the barracks and-…wait…"

The soldier walked closer. His pace was quick, fast and he would've walked straight up to Albedo if his friend hadn't grabbed him and jerked him back.

"Are you crazy?" He hissed. "No one's going to try to rescue you if you instigate it, especially not me. I'll let him tear you apart and not think twice about it."

Audacity twisted his arm out of his grip. "Look!" He yelled angrily. "Look at what's he's holding!"

Albedo's own eyes traveled down to his fist. The bloodstained altar cloth was still clenched between his fingers. He'd completely forgotten that he was holding it. He pulled most of it off and the back of the gray stone beneath it was visible. Huh, so there was no blackened blood beneath it after all.

Hesitance seemed surprised as well but all he said in response was, "Let Commander Margulis deal with this. It's not our problem."

"Not our problem?" Audacity shouted. Albedo felt the heat of his glare.

"No," Hesitance answered firmly, "and now you're the one shouting. We've got to get back. What if something important happens and we fail to report it. He's going to care more about that than this."

"What kind of soldier are you?"

"What kind of idiot are you? Let's go."

"You can't expect me to just stand he—"

"—What do you wish for?"

Both soldiers stopped their arguing, startled by his voice. The two glanced at each other and then back to him. They seemed confused, Audacity in particular. Albedo had been so quiet up until now.

Albedo lifted his head and raised his paralyzing purple eyes to them. They burned bright from stirring of the waves inside of him. The drying trails of his tears made his grin that much more terrifying in contrast and a shiver passed through the hesitant one at the sight

The audacious one made a noise that matched his contempt.

"What do you?" He spat in return. He was full of spite, full of hatred toward the variant and they had only just met. Albedo loved it, fed off it. Hesitance took a step back as Albedo took one forward. Audacity stood tall and immovable. Did hatred give him the same high? Lovely.

"My omega."

He continued his walk forward and Hesitance continued his backward pace, matching Albedo step-for-step. The other soldier didn't move.

"Let's go," Hesitance tried again. He gripped his weapon tightly, eyes trained on Albedo. He knew it wouldn't help him against the bioweapon but it made him feel a little safer and calmed him, even if the safety was a lie. The other soldier was going to be submerged under Albedo's waves soon. He could try apologizing, if he did maybe he'd leave with all of his internal organs intact. Of course, he didn't.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Albedo was still clutching the cloth in his hand as he approached him. It was pulled away from the altar during his advance and drug to the floor, sliding along behind him. It made the soldier burn with even more anger and fueled the variant all the more.

"Would you like to know his name?"

The blood laden cloth fell from his fingertips and landed lightly onto the floor of the warm abbey. This church had been given a taste of his blood. Surely the saint wanted more. 'What a beautiful way to for this soldier to die,' Albedo thought as the swirling tendrils of energy began to break through his skin.

'With Rubedo's name on his lips.'

* * *

A/N: Oh Wilhelm, that jerk. :P The main reason I chose Wilhelm to motivate (if you can call it that) Albedo is because of the fact that Albedo seems to be working for him from the very beginning. He's been "partners" with Virgil since the 1st game, before anyone even knew what the Testaments were exactly. And if Wilhelm can appear before Kevin as a child, why not Albedo? Seems only fair. XD Albedo is infinately better than Kevin anyway. ;P

I'm really curious about how everyone feels about this chapter. I hope that it's not all completely negative. You all know who to complain to if it is. ;P Thank you all once again for reading and I hope that I am able to update for you all very soon!

Reviews are my muse so inspire it up people. C:


	15. Prelude to Pride

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates. I've decided to completely quit promising since my illness is unpredictable. Thank you again for being so patient. It means the world to me!

So I'm a few days late updating this and I can already see Xealotte shaking her head because I updated this so very late at night/early in the morning. Forgive me! I love you! D:

**Pathetic Excuses:** I was healthy enough to travel to Alabama for Kami-con which was my first con ever! And I was lucky enough to meet Crispin Freeman! So I took the sort of split-second trip and didn't get time to update until just now. But at least I got an autograph out of it! He signed Xenosaga: Episode 1 for me! He even signed Albedo under his name after I mentioned (more like stammered nervously) that I adored his portrayal of him.

If any of you get a chance to meet him or see his panels, do so. He's easily a thousand times more awesome than I thought he would be, not to mention kind!

If I you were there at Kami-con I'm sorry that I didn't say hi! I didn't know you were there! D:

_**This chapter…**_ deals with the aftermath of chapter 13, and the second segment starts off immediately where it ended. It's more of an angsty chapter and unfortunately, the next nightmare doesn't show up until next chapter. I know you all want to kill me but there wasn't a way for me to fit it into this one.

Thank you all again for hanging in there with me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. C:

**Warning:** No nightmares! D:

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the plot, the characters or the rights to Xenosaga… I simply own a copy of it that I'll cherish forever because Mr. Freeman is so very kind!

* * *

"Nothing makes one so vain as being told one is a sinner. Conscience makes egoists of us all."

-Oscar Wilde

* * *

Abnormally Attracted to Sin  
Chapter 15  
Prelude to Pride

"You're cutting it a bit close, don't you think?"

Virgil's sneer echoed off the crystalline walls and bounced hollowly back toward the Testament.

"I keep waiting for you to disappear off to the _Dämmerung__. _God knows that Wilhelm can't be bothered to come here himself. Maybe he'll force me to drag you there. Wouldn't that be something? "

Albedo didn't respond to his presence at all. His eyes were downcast, his body slightly bent in order to get a better view of the boy on the floor. His attention belonged to the crystalline image, his whole being focused on it. Virgil could pinch and poke at him all he wanted but the man's eyes were glued and all solvents were ineffective.

"Or maybe he'll send Kevin. Now that would really be a show, don't you think? Lust coming to carry Vanity to his slaughter?"

Ah, there it was! The Blue Testament mirrored the dark smile on Albedo's face. He'd known he wouldn't be able to ignore that one.

"Yeah, _Vanity_. He is your twin, isn't he?"

Virgil had been peering over Albedo's shoulder to the crystalline image at his feet but now he moved, circling the Testament and his sacred image. When he was directly in front of the white beast he bent down on one knee and placed a hand over the precious image that Albedo's purple eyes had been absorbing. The sharp mask covering his face didn't do much to conceal the powerful aura evaporating off of him - a message for Virgil to either remove his hand or lose it.

"No, that's not right. You were the same person once. That makes you like Narcissus, constantly bent over your reflection, begging it to love you back."

Virgil grinned, removed his palm and pushed himself up. The aura that radiated from Albedo dimmed but didn't fade completely. He was waiting for Virgil to explain himself. The Blue Testament understood and snickered at the feeling.

"You've got it a little better," he continued, unafraid. "He's real, he's physically capable of it but he's not going to reflect your affection."

The White Testament was frozen on his bench. His lungs and mind ceased their functions; his silence was no longer one of stubbornness.

"So which is worse?" Virgil asked. He retraced his earlier movements so that he was behind Albedo once again, staring down over his shoulder. "Narcissus at least saw his reflection reaching back for him. All you're going to get is resistance."

There was no answer. No response. Virgil didn't need one. His grin was sharp as he leaned over Albedo's shoulder.

"Well, what's worse, Vanity?"

* * *

chaos stood in the demolished doorway as rain pounded into the shattered cathedral. Jr. sat slumped over on his knees as the rain drenched him to the bone. He should have been freezing but he seemed unconcerned and quite content to sit under the escalating downpour and the gray morning sun. Every now and then his body would shake but chaos knew that it wasn't the frigid abbey or the icy rain that caused those tremors.

The sound of crunching glass should have alerted Jr. to the figure behind him. The sudden warmth of another being in the outrageously cold cathedral should have at least made him turn his head. He was a bio weapon, a variant, and his senses were sharper than any human's, than even any standard U.R.T.V. He should have detected the person intruding on him before they had even made it up the steps to the abbey. The shattered pieces of glass covering the cathedral floor screamed for his attention as they were smashed underneath black leather soles. Jr. was deaf to their cries. He was deaf to everything, numb to everything except the feel of rain on his skin and the freezing temperature of the Glass Cathedral as it worked to make him a permanent fixture in its frigid insides.

The only reason he snapped out of his haze was because the heavy rain that had been pounding down on him suddenly stopped. He blinked for a moment and stared dumbly at the floor beneath him as if it could answer his questioning mind. It did, in the form of a circular shadow. His curiosity got the better of him and Jr. raised his eyes to find the cause of the shadow.

It was an umbrella and the glove wrapped around its handle belonged to chaos. The older boy stood bent over, offering Jr. the shade of his umbrella and standing in the downpour that had so eagerly drenched the downtrodden variant. The older boy was soaked. His silver hair was matted against his brown skin and fell in his eyes in a way that looked very uncomfortable. It didn't seem to bother him though. Jr. stared blankly back at his friend as his fractured mind tried to piece together just what was happening. He looked from his hands to the cross in front of him and then back to his friend. He lifted his sapphire orbs up to chaos' translucent aquamarine ones. They seemed lost and painfully confused. Within them chaos found everything he needed to know. So when Jr. opened his mouth to say something, to make some excuse, chaos shook his head.

"No, Jr." he said. His voice was deep and powerful in the devastated cathedral and the boy on the floor seemed to become more himself at the sound of it.

chaos offered the boy his free hand. Jr. hesitated a moment but when he finally reached up to take it he was rewarded with chaos' melancholy smile.

"It's freezing in here," Jr. said absently as chaos pulled him up and into a standing position.

chaos only nodded as he handed Jr. his umbrella. The variant didn't protest. It wouldn't have done any good. The two of them made it outside of the destroyed cathedral and slid into Jr.'s hover car. As the doors shut closed, chaos handed Jr. a blanket. He wrapped it around his shoulders eagerly and squirmed into a comfortable position. Neither of them spoke as the vehicle came to life and headed toward the Durandal. Jr. didn't offer anything and chaos didn't ask for anything.

This time the silence didn't bother Jr. In fact, he found it to be quite relaxing. He looked over to his friend and found him leaned against the window of his seat. His eyes were closed, his wet hair stuck to the glass and his gloves lay folded in his lap. He looked so uncomfortable in his clothes and Jr. found it slightly funny that he'd even kept his gloves on despite the fact that they were soaking wet. He smiled slightly. Classic chaos.

He seemed tired. He probably hadn't gotten much sleep. chaos had stayed up late with him the night before and had woken up early because of his nightmare. Even now he'd spent half the morning looking for him. Jr. pulled the blanket around his shoulders. The dampness of his own clothes bothered him a bit but the blanket's warmth made up for it. Jr. curled up tighter and leaned back against his door. He was easily one of the luckiest people in the world.

He wasn't sure why but the sight of chaos, the warm of the blanket around his shoulders and the sound of the rain on the windows of the hover car seemed to calm him. Despite the horrible nightmare he had just endured, despite the awful thoughts plaguing him, he found himself giving in to the feeling. He closed his eyes and relaxed into his seat.

Sleep claimed Jr. fast, blanketed him with a heavy warmth that kept his body calm and his mind quiet. When chaos was sure Jr. was asleep, he opened his eyes and pushed himself away from the window. Quietly, so as not to wake the redhead, he changed the hover car's route. Jr. had finally fallen asleep and chaos wasn't about to wake him up any time soon. As he finished punching in the last of the coordinates he leaned back in his seat. This time chaos would watch over him while he slept. This time, chaos would protect him. This time Jr. would actually get some rest, chaos would personally see to it. As the vehicle turned off its original course and began to make its way aimlessly through Foundation sectors the rain picked up. chaos kept his eyes on Jr. and listened to the lullaby the rain had composed as the Foundation's artificial sky poured down on their hover car.

* * *

His words went unnoticed. Albedo's mind was fixated somewhere else. That didn't stop Virgil. In fact it encouraged him. Virgil gripped Albedo's shoulder and whispered something suggestive in his ear but Albedo ignored him. Rubedo was his, would always be his. The being in the car next to him was only borrowing him. That boy didn't want Rubedo, didn't crave him, didn't _need_ him. If he had, he would have already made his move. Virgil's claws dug into Albedo's shoulders as he laughed.

"There are people out there," He whispered, "A lot less selfish than you."

The struck a chord with Albedo. He studied the two in the car as Virgil's words twisted the scene before him. A normal love, a traditional love was sometimes kept quiet. It could go hidden for years, ages and sometimes remained forever unspoken. The admirer simply loved the admired from afar if it was in their best interest or if there was no hope for the relationship to work. It was a concept that Albedo had never understood. Silence solved nothing. Rubedo belonged to him and no one else would have him. He would make sure of it.

The thought echoed in his mind, causing a strange quivering in his chest. He ignored the discomfort and the way it resonated within him.

That boy…could he be harboring feelings for his Rubedo? Could his careful touches and watchful attitude be some kind of ruse? Albedo had thought his pure little pêche to be the only true competition he had. But now this…this boy, this being, this…guardian…! Wouldn't he be the next logical choice? Wouldn't he make just as much a rival if not more of one? The boy who had been protecting Rubedo since the birth of madness? The boy who was constantly nursing his wounds?

The only person Rubedo would submit to?

"Hey, he's asleep."

Was his distancing himself, was holding himself back the boy's way of showing…affection?

"What are you waiting for?"

Virgil released Albedo's shoulders and took a step back. His words had done their job. The madman's brow furrowed and there was even a slight frown on his lips as he considered the possibility of a new threat. It made Virgil curious himself. The boy certainly paid a lot of attention to him. He was always there to save him if anything went wrong. chaos was Jr.'s own personal body guard, his guardian angel. He was kind, selfless and in every way Albedo's opposite. Not to mention that his sexual orientation seemed to lean more toward the male side of things. If the kid were to fall in love with a male, wouldn't he be the first choice? The two were closer than two friends should be. What exactly did that make them? What would someone call their relationship?

Albedo must have been thinking along the same lines. His muscles were tight and his gaze cold. It didn't surprise Virgil that Albedo didn't instantly disappear at his words. He chose his movements very carefully. Every nightmare was thought out thoroughly and it would be foolish to simply leap into the boy's mind to prove a point to the testament.

But Virgil sensed something in Albedo that he'd never felt from him before - apprehension. It shocked Virgil a bit to think that Albedo possessed anything resembling fear but it wasn't unwarranted. chaos could stop him. The power wasn't beyond him.

Virgil wasn't exactly sure where chaos stood in the game as far as rules went. If Albedo left now with the guardian next to the boy would that a violation? Would chaos be able to sense him?

Virgil had never been sure of Wilhelm's attitude toward chaos. The two were so opposite that Virgil had thought them enemies but the more he learned about them the less likely that seemed. Wilhelm never spoke ill of him, never tried to harm or hinder him in any way. Wilhelm seemed to respect him. He liked to watch him, was amused by him maybe to the point of fondness. Whether Wilhelm was able to feel anything at all was uncertain but the way he smiled when he spoke the boy's real name made the Testament wonder if there wasn't a piece of humanity still left in him. So how would he feel about Albedo slipping into the kid's mind with the boy right next to him?

His eyes slid from the early morning gray of the Foundation to the icy purple of the White Testament's gaze. If Virgil had to guess, he'd say that Wilhelm was fond of Albedo too.

"Afraid?"

That word was Albedo's worst enemy. It was heavy with implications, heavy with memories and heavy with things he never wanted to carry. He glared at the being in the car, at his proximity to his sleeping prince-_ his_ prince,_ his_ dragon, _his_ Rubedo – and wondered if he could feel the power of his gaze. Albedo sat frozen and waiting for the boy in the car to raise his aquamarine eyes upwards towards him. The hover car began its fourth rotation as the rain picked up. The blanket in the passenger seat remained wrapped around the tiny figure of the dreaming dragon. The boy in the driver's seat leaned against the window, dozing comfortably and smiling occasionally. He never lifted his eyes from Rubedo.

"He's a clever one, that chaos."

Virgil took a seat beside Albedo, facing away from the image and the white testament's bent form.

"Do you think that he'd sense you if you left for a visit? He might stop you if he did."

He crossed his arms and leaned back a bit to gauge Albedo's expression but it hadn't changed. He shrugged and gave a short little laugh. He grinned as he cut his eyes over toward the image of the boys in the car.

"I'd say that he's putting on a show for you."

If chaos decided to intervene Albedo didn't stand a chance and he doubted that Wilhelm would lend any sort of aid.

Motion beside him gained Virgil's attention and he turned slightly toward Albedo. He found him bent completely over the image in the floor, one clawed glove pressed flat over his reflection's chest. Virgil stood up and turned around to fully face him. Albedo didn't notice and if he did, he didn't care.

He was completely off of his bench, crouched on the floor, hand on his twin. His expression had changed drastically from slight irritation to one of extreme longing. Albedo wasn't trying desperately to curl around the boy's heart or break through the crystal to capture him in his sharp grip. Albedo's emotions, his expressions, his actions were mismatched jumbles of utter lunacy. His love was selfish and twisted. It called for blood, pain and forced submission but here he was, gazing at his twin as if he was the most precious thing in the world. It confused and disturbed Virgil a bit. How could someone harm a person the way Albedo had and still care so much about them? It didn't add up. It didn't make sense and Virgil doubted he would ever understand. The expression on Albedo's face and the sight of his crouched form caressing his reflection made Virgil's stomach churn. He opened his mouth to say something cruel when Albedo spoke up, interrupting him.

"It matters not."He said, his voice a soft murmur that even the walls wouldn't echo.

He lingered over the image a few more seconds before he stood. The movement was slow, smooth and it made Virgil uneasy. Albedo straightened himself up and Virgil watched as the soft expression on his face vanished, twisted and settled into that familiar grin. The very one that made his skin crawl and his stomach knot.

"Rubedo is mine," Albedo said simply.

He took one last look down at the image beneath him before turning and leaving it all behind him.

"And I will have him back."

* * *

What did a person do when they lost a piece of themselves? Did they replace it with something new? Upgrade it into something better than before? Did they adapt to it, accept it, or did they train their body to live without it? Did they ignore it and pretend it never existed? After all a person couldn't miss what they never had. They couldn't hurt if there was never any pain to begin with.

What did yin do without yang? Could it even operate? Did it shrivel up and die away or did continue to push, ignorant of its missing piece and desperate for a semblance of the old routine? Did it drive itself mad in its persistent push, hoping in vain to feel the old pull return and save it from decay?

Jr. heard it more than he felt it. The hover car settled down and the doors clicked open. The chill of the rain was gentle as it hit Jr. He didn't have time to get even a little wet by it because chaos was at his side in mere seconds, lifting him out of his seat and carrying him into the shuttle. Part of Jr. wanted to protest. It was an extremely small part of him that protested to anyone carrying him like a child but chaos was warm and his hold was soft and Jr. found that he was too exhausted to fight. He dozed pleasantly in and out of awareness. He didn't even notice chaos sit him down onto his bed. He didn't feel chaos unwrap the wet blanket from around him. He didn't notice chaos gently removing his wet clothing. His body felt strangely calm, his mind numb to everything except the memory of the nightmarish cathedral and the demon inside of it.

Albedo…

Jr. took a deep breath. Albedo, Albedo, Albedo…He was the source of Jr.'s problems, all of his problems. If he hadn't…if he didn't…

Jr. placed his hands on the sides of his head. No. It was his fault. It was his fault that Albedo was the way he was. He had turned him into a monster. He had abandoned him in that hell. He had hidden from him, tried to forget about him.

It didn't matter how hard he ran. It didn't matter how hard he ignored the pain. It didn't matter how hard he fought it. He'd…killed Albedo. He'd murdered him. He'd been pushing Albedo away his entire life but no matter how much force he had behind it his twin would pull him back in twice as hard with ferocity unlike anything else in existence. He hated it, resented him for it. Couldn't he just forget? Couldn't he just leave him alone? Couldn't he just…

"_**What's that face? You look like you've just lost your best friend, Rubedo."**_

Jr.'s heart ached. It was a deep ache that encompassed his entire being and shook him to his core. It didn't matter what Albedo had done because he was gone. It didn't matter what mistakes he had made or how many people he had hurt. He was Jr.'s twin, his other half and even at his worst Jr. couldn't forget the little boy who had clung to him, had cried for him, had looked to him for protection. The little boy he had failed to protect. The very same little boy he had abandoned to the nightmare of Miltia.

He could never bring himself to kill him. Not until…

But he had no choice! It wasn't just about him anymore. Albedo was going to destroy everyone, the entire world he…what choice had he…

He covered his eyes with his hands. His body shook slightly as he fought to hold back tears. If he could go back he'd fix everything. If he had one more chance he'd save him. He'd protect him. If he could do it all again…what he wouldn't give.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he had completely forgotten his surroundings. chaos had stripped Jr. of his boots and his coat but hadn't tried to remove anything else. The older boy placed a hand on Jr.'s shoulder. It calmed him down enough to drop his hands. He gave a shaky sigh that vibrated along chaos' arm. He patted Jr.'s shoulder a bit in response and offered him a soft smile. Jr. hesitated for a moment, afraid of what chaos might see in his eyes. He still didn't quite feel like himself.

"Jr.," chaos pointed to a set of dry clothes he'd placed on Jr.'s bedside table. "You'll catch a cold…"

Jr. stared at them for a moment before nodding. chaos took his hand off of Jr. then and moved to pick up his wet clothing from the floor.

Jr. wasn't sure what he wanted. He wasn't sure what his nightmares meant. He didn't know what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to make sense of it all but he couldn't deny it any longer. Even though his nightmares had been horrifying, disturbing, painful things that he'd never want to endure again…the thought of Albedo alive…

Jr. changed his clothes absently, his mind still turning in a hopeless effort to make some sort of sense. When he'd finally managed to put on dry clothes he lowered his tired body onto the bed, anxious for a proper rest. chaos watched him settle beneath the covers and bent down to pick up the remainder of his discarded clothes. He was silent as he picked them up. He didn't ask any questions about the cathedral. He didn't bother to remind Jr. that Albedo was indeed dead. He didn't even express the worry Jr. knew he was feeling. Everyone must think him crazy by now and maybe he was. Who in their right mind would mourn a monster? Who in their right mind would want one alive? He had to die. He needed to die. There had been no other alternative.

But…Jr. couldn't help thinking that he should have died along with him.

chaos stood and turned to leave, taking a pile of Jr.'s clothes with him but the boy stopped him with a question.

"chaos," he asked. His voice was thin and guarded but he was certain that it didn't matter. chaos would see right through him as if he was transparent. "If you had one wish what would you wish for?"

Jr. couldn't wish for Albedo no matter how bad he wanted it. He couldn't unleash that kind of monster onto the world. Jr. closed his eyes again, dangerously close to tears. Maybe he'd just wish to forget everything. He doubted that he could escape Albedo even through a wish. Albedo would find him somehow but wasn't that what he needed? Didn't he need that pull, that force to keep him from going insane?

Crying wasn't out of the question. Jr. gave up on holding back tears and there was nothing to stop them. He absently expected to feel them sliding along his skin at any moment but it never happened.

Perhaps he did die on Abel's Ark. Maybe this was Hell and he was destined to eternally push himself into decay, into madness, urgently seeking his twin and finding only his bloodthirsty phantom.

He had disappeared into his thoughts again and had completely forgotten that he'd asked chaos a question. He was brought back to reality when he felt a hand on his chest, urging him to lie down. All of the questions in his mind quieted immediately. The tension in his body evaporated in an instant and he allowed himself to relax onto the bed. His body and mind was suddenly heavy and begging for rest. He didn't know how chaos had managed to pacify his thoughts. He didn't understand how sleep could possibly sound good after all of the terrible nightmares he had endured. He laid silent for a few moments, weakly protesting the sleep that was encroaching on him. The longer he fought it the more he began to forget why he was fighting it in the first place. A sudden soft weight caused the bed to shift a bit. A gentle hand came to rest atop the blanket just over his ankle. All of Jr.'s worries became meaningless blots of nothing under the touch. All he wanted, all he cared about was rest.

"If I had one wish," chaos whispered softly as Jr.'s eyes finally slid closed, "I would wish for the end of your agony."

* * *

Vanity was a selfish sin. It consumed, enveloped and eclipsed all other things. Its insatiable desire bowed the universe before its destructive might. The grin it held was so twisted only its owner would find it enchanting but that didn't stop it from bending before the genuflect masses to whisper its worth for them all to worship. Vanity was ruthless, a being obsessed with its own perfection.

…or perhaps with another's perfection.

In reality, Vanity was hollow. It was an empty thing polished with extravagance and possessed with a need to become whole.

It was nothing more than a beautiful shard broken from the jewel of Pride.

Pride was the foolish prince of perseverance. Pride ignored its wounds and the blood of its past. No matter the depth, the sting or the danger of the cracks stabbed into it, Pride would never utter a single cry. Pride was stubborn, Pride was selfish and Pride would do anything to rid itself of flaws. Pride was oblivious, a being certain of its own perfection.

Yes, Pride was true perfection.

He removed his mask to reveal his smile. The white of his suit illuminated his dark surroundings at bit, creating a sort of white haze around him. He could easily have been mistaken for an angel if not for the mischievous glint in his purple eyes and the twist of his pale lips.

He was a marble gargoyle atop a brick foundation, the stray and beating heart of Lucifer himself. The demon, the beast released from the crystalline cage that held his brethren sins. Being perched upon a Foundation building did nothing for him, however. He wasn't allowed into the sanctity of his prince's private quarters. His first visit had been a once-only experience and he doubted Wilhelm would allow him to get away with another untimely one, especially with Gabriel guarding him. Still he lingered, toying with idea of betraying the confines of his rules. Harmless fun, he supposed. Temptation was Vanity's foreplay.

He could see the body of Wrath's dreadnought from the brick building he stood upon. The rain had long since ended and the multicolored magnificence of the city lights sprinkled out across the damp night sky. They shimmered throughout the restless Foundation and reflected upon the artificial sea, winking back teasingly at him.

It frustrated him a bit to be so close and yet unable to touch but it comforted him just the same. To know that Rubedo was safe calmed him. That he had an escape from his never-ending nightmare was a kind of relief. Albedo wanted to break him, not destroy him. Pride's stubbornness could work for or against Albedo. He had to be careful. He was grateful to Gabriel to some extent. Rubedo would never ask for help but that didn't seem to matter because Gabriel never asked if he needed rescuing, he simply rescued.

He found however, that he could not help himself. When the angelic boy whispered his wish to Rubedo, Albedo was reminded of his own. He placed his claws to his lips and chuckled, remembering the way his lips had felt. Wrath and Vanity together…did they not create the perfect portrait of Narcissus himself? Wrath, Vanity's own little prelude to Pride.

As he felt the boy's mind slip into the protective arms of Gabriel he sent, oh so quietly,

_I desire your dreams. _

There was a weak response and Albedo's smile widened at the unfamiliar desperation it held.

_Sleep, beauty. Your beast awaits. _

He glanced once more toward the Durandal. Rubedo could not deny him forever. His maddening laughter rose above the glimmering lights of the Foundation as he vanished from the rooftop, eager and more than ready for their next meeting.

"How well will our next evening bode, mon Rubedo?"

* * *

A/N: Wait a minute… Wrath+Vanity=Pride? What kind of math have I been failing? Wait, let me explain. C:

I chose Vanity as Albedo's sin mainly for his obsession with and high opinion of Jr. That coupled with the fact that they were conjoined twins, would make him literally in love with himself. Not to mention his high opinion of himself since he views himself as the only person who is worthy of Jr.

I've referenced Jr. as wrath before which is sort of an obvious sin to slap him with but he's a prideful little thing too. Pride is a sin shared between the two of them. Since vanity is a form of pride, it would take both of them to fully complete the sin of pride.  
…it kinda makes sense in a strange, calculus/geometry/nonsense sort of way, right? :P

Not quite as dramatic as previous chapters but I hope it was still a fun read. You know who to complain to if it wasn't~  
Well, we made it through the prelude. Think we can make it through the actual sin of pride? Maybe! If I ever get around to finishing the second half of it! D:  
The nightmare you've all been so patiently waiting for is close at hand! Let's see what kind of twisted things Albedo can come up with for Pride!

Thanks again! Reviews are my muse, so inspire it up people! C:


	16. Pride:Spider

_**A/N:**_ Hello, everyone! I would apologize for the lateness but it's sort of what you've all come to expect from me. Sadly. I am really excited to be back however and since things seem to have calmed down for the time being, I'm going to really try to give you all some new chapters. I never expected this story to take so long and I thank all of you for sticking with it no matter how reliable/unpredictable the author/plot. You're all fantastic. XD

**Pathetic Excuses:** So, my superior decided to quit suddenly right before one of our busiest seasons began and dumped his work on me. I, like the amazing superwoman I am, panicked and flailed about. Just when I'd finally figured everything out, he came back…during the end of the season and suddenly quit again. So now I'm dealing with the same situation again only with a lot less panic/flailing. In the middle of all of this, my computer decided to quit and I honestly just didn't have the spare time to get someone to look at it or even to mess around with someone else's computer.

_**This chapter… **_I decided to make Pride into two separate chapters; the set-up and the sin itself. I had planned on updating around February and giving you two chapters but I'm just going to give you this first half because of the long wait. I _do_ have the second part of Pride at around…4,500 completed but I expect it to be a long chapter as well and that might not even be half of it. To make up for it though, I'm going to give you a little preview at the end of this chapter. Hopefully that'll make up for something.  
This chapter also has a few original characters lingering around. Strange, for me, considering how much I myself despise original characters but they won't become main characters and really only function as extras to fill in a couple of places. This won't become habit, swear.

I'd like to thank you all, once again for sticking with me through my rollercoaster of life. XD I've really not been fair with the updates but I promise that I am trying my hardest. Even when it doesn't look like it.

And **Aiselne**! I can't apologize enough! We just can't seem to get on the same schedule and by the time you review/update I'm off, freaking out about something absolutely ridiculous and then it's time for _me_ to update. I will not let that happen this time. You're too awesome and I have been horrible and I deeply apologize. If anyone has NOT checked out her Xenosaga stuff you really should, especially because she updates waaay more frequently than I do. And she's a waaay better author. ;P

Now I'll shut up. Sorry again for the wait, everyone!

**Warning:** OC! D:

**Disclaimer:** I don't Xenosaga, it's plot and I'm not doing this to gain any sort of profit. Good thing too. If this were my job, I'd make no money. ;P  
I also don't own Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) or The Spider and the Fly (Mary Howitt). I'm simply alluding to their existence.

Oh! **Before I forget**, there is a two-day time period between the first section and rest of the chapter. Probably important for me to let you all know that. XD

* * *

_"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice said.  
"Oh you can't help that," said the cat. "We're all mad here."  
-Lewis Carrol's Alice In Wonderland_

* * *

Abnormally Attracted to Sin  
Chapter 16  
Pride: Spider

Jr. hated his birthday. It sounded silly for someone to hate their own birthday, especially for someone like Jr. His birthday was celebrated by everyone on the Foundation, almost like a national holiday. Jr. loved presents and certainly loved being the center of attention so the very notion seemed absolutely ridiculous and it certainly would have been if not for Gaignun.

Gaignun always gave him the perfect presents but Jr. never knew what to give in return. Gaignun wasn't as picky as his older brother and seemed honestly happy with whatever was given to him. That made choosing even harder. Jr. wanted to give him something he'd truly love, something he'd like better than anything else. Their birthdays became like competitions before long, ones Jr. almost always lost – much to his chagrin. Jr. would spend days, weeks, sometimes even months searching for something, determined to win, but when Jr.'s last birthday rolled around and he received the present his younger brother gave him, he knew instantly that he'd lost again.

It was a book, a heavy, thick thing that Jr. had to carry in both arms. The maroon cover was faded a bit from age but the book itself was in amazing condition and when Jr. opened it, he was surprised to find that the pages were still a perfect, pure white as if the book had just been printed. It held no title on its cover and it wasn't until Jr. turned a few pages that he found it to be an ancient storybook. He gaped at the thing, truly amazed that Gaignun had been able to find something so rare. He wanted to hug him for it, kiss him for it, kill him for it because now he'd lost yet another round.

"Just wait until next year," Jr. grumbled as he flipped through the pages.

That had been months ago, a few weeks before Gaignun had left for Fifth Jerusalem, a short couple of months after Albedo's death. Jr. remembered how, when he'd been unable to sleep, he'd pull the thick monster of a book off its shelf and carry it to bed with him. After settling down beneath his blanket, he'd prop himself up on his side and read through it. Sometimes he spent entire nights grazing it from start to finish. It contained mostly short stories and fairy tales but it also held poems and even small excerpts from other books. Jr. had read through it thousands of times, knew every story in it like the back of his hand but there was one story that he always skipped over.

_Alice's Adventures in Wonderland _ had been Albedo's favorite book. Funny, considering how much of a misogynistic bastard he was, but in a strange way it made sense. The book was complete nonsense and even though the main protagonist was a little girl it was the colorful characters that drew the most attention. They were confusing, strange and sometimes even rude to Alice, making her feel or appear stupid and maybe even helpless at times. When the darkness of their room had seemed especially ominous Albedo had crawled up beside him with his book.

A Mad Tea-Party, chapter 7, was Albedo's absolute favorite chapter and one of the handfuls of chapters in Jr.'s great big book of stories. The Jabberwocky and The Lobster Quadrille were in the chapters before and after it, creating a big section that Jr. had to skip. If the book hadn't been so rare, he would've ripped the pages out and burned them to ashes.

Jr. sighed as he opened the book. It had been two weeks since chaos had carried him home from the cathedral. His sleep was largely uneventful and everything had returned to the way it had been before. There were no more hallucinations and the visits he had with the doctor were almost over. Two more days and then he'd be free.

Tonight was one that he just couldn't seem to sleep through. He sat up in bed and dragged the heap of a book into his lap, ready to find a story and read until he finally grew tired enough to sleep. It sat with a comfortable heaviness on his legs as he flipped through pages, trying to decide which one to start with. Alby had been lying at the foot of his young master's bed. When he heard him shuffling about, the puppy lifted itself up and walked lazily toward him.

Jr. knew when he was getting close to Lewis Carroll's section and frowned, knowing he'd have to flip through all the pages he didn't want to see. When the pages opened up onto the picture of the Jabberwocky Jr. grimaced and looked down at the page numbers. He lifted up the pages by the bottom right corner and -having memorized the pages numbers- gathered them up between his thumb and index finger, ready to turn the whole section away.

Alby's fur brushed against his arm as the puppy finally made its way to him, stealing his attention for a moment. The puppy walked up beside him, turned a series of circles in order to get comfortable and finally lowered his little body down so that he was next to Jr. He raised his sleepy head up to rest his chin on the curve of his master's left thigh and gave a small sigh. Alby was quiet for a moment as his bright violet eyes started to close again until he noticed that his master was staring at him. His eyes widened and his ears perked toward Jr. expectantly. Surely Master didn't mind if he curled up next to him, did he?

Jr. smiled at him and scratched behind a white ear.

"Can't sleep either?"

The puppy leaned into Jr.'s hand and when the boy pulled away, he set his chin back to its earlier position. Jr. turned back to his book. He'd released the earlier pages when he'd reached for Alby. The gnarled, serpentine image of the Jabberwocky glared back at him, its deformed mouth eternally frozen in a silent roar. Albedo had always been afraid of the Jabberwocky. Well, he used to be. Jr. doubted Albedo feared much of anything anymore.

He flipped past the image and the poem beneath it and further still until he reached the Lobster Quadrille. He glanced once more to the puppy on his lap. Alby's tired gaze was focused on the pages his master had been turning as he wondered slightly what exactly the thing was. It held his master's attention so well, surely it must be important.

It shouldn't matter anymore. Albedo wasn't alive, what did it matter what he read? He cleared his throat a bit and relaxed into the pillows propping him up. If it didn't matter then why did reading the lines bother him so much?

"What matters it how far we go?' his scaly friend replied. 'There is another shore, you know, upon the other side…"

He felt a little silly reading it aloud, especially to a dog who couldn't even understand the words but Alby's ears perked up at the sound of his voice as if he was listening. He shifted his head higher on his master until his chin was resting on his hip. He stared up at Jr. in askance.

'Why did you stop?'

So Jr. turned his eyes back to the book and continued.

"The further off from England the nearer is to France—Then turn not pale, beloved snail, and come and join the dance."

The puppy closed his eyes, lulled into a pleasant, relaxed sleep by the sound of his master's voice. Alby wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such special treatment but he was glad he'd done it, whatever it was. He snuggled up closer to Jr. and listened softly to the story.

"Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance? Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?"

* * *

Virgil didn't like Kevin. He had never liked Kevin but that was nothing new. Virgil never liked anyone. It was just a simple matter of who he disliked the least. Virgil frowned at Kevin's approach. Didn't he have something important to do, somewhere important to be? Virgil hoped Kevin didn't have somewhere important for_ him_ to be. He didn't want to go anywhere with Voyager and wished that Albedo's game would end soon. If he was going to have to have a partner Albedo was the only one he would even consider semi-willingly agreeing to.

"He's been waiting a long time," Kevin observed as he came to stand next to Virgil.

Virgil hated the nonchalant way he spoke. There was something sinister and dark in the edges of it as if every word he spoke was hinting at a lie he had yet to speak. Virgil held back his snarl as he replied.

"Does it matter?"

Kevin shrugged. "Not really. I'm just curious. Like you."

The answer insulted him a bit. Ever since Kevin had attacked Albedo over the last nightmare he wasn't sure how to take him. The whole thing had seemed underhanded and the more often Kevin came by to "check" on Albedo, the more Virgil grew to dislike him.

"He's planning," Virgil sighed. Why in the world did he care so much?

"That so?" He sounded truly interested. It pissed Virgil off.

"What else would he be doing?" came his caustic reply.

The Blue Testament crossed his arms and shrugged, looking over toward the White Testament. Albedo sat with his back straight and his eyes eternally downcast to the image playing on the crystal floor. His face held an expression Virgil couldn't discern. He studied for a moment, wondering if he could guess what it meant.

"It's a little late to be planning," The Blue Testament sighed. "He's digging his own grave."

Kevin snorted at that. "You sound as if you really care what happens to this boy. Why don't you go and confess your feelings to him? I'm sure Albedo would be interested to know that he has competition."

Virgil almost laughed. "Testament or not, I don't think I would survive that fight."

"Is that fear?"

"It's fact."

The two stood silent for a moment as they watched Albedo. The White Testament didn't do anything interesting. He simply sat and watched, that undecipherable expression still plastered on his face. There was something about it though. It was something in his eyes and in the tightness of his lips. What was he watching?

"He seems different."

Virgil's frown deepened as he turned to face Kevin. The Red Testament didn't return his gaze, though it wouldn't have mattered if he had; Kevin always wore his mask.

"What do you mean?"

"Determined," Kevin corrected. "More so, if such a thing is possible. Did something happen?"

The question irritated Virgil. If Virgil wanted to know something he went up to Albedo and asked. Sometimes Albedo answered, sometimes he didn't and sometimes Virgil had to use persuasive methods to get it from him. He wanted to know what was going on. He didn't know why he wanted to know, he just did. Virgil had given up trying to make sense of the feeling, the same way he'd given up on trying to decipher Albedo. He wanted to know, simple as that. Kevin, on the other hand, came only when Virgil was there. If he had a question, he asked Virgil. He was always in the shadows, always out of Albedo's sight.

His brow furrowed but he kept his eyes on Albedo. That strange, wistful look passed over his features but lasted less than a second. Albedo pulled up one hand, the one that held his numbers. The square of cloth was still torn away, displaying the blood red 667. Albedo knew that Kevin was watching him but did he know how closely? The longer this went on the more he began to notice that Kevin wasn't simply watching. He was planning. What he was planning for, Virgil didn't know. He did know that things were going to get very interesting very soon.

"Heh, how should I know?"

'Kevin the coward,' Virgil thought. He turned his back on the scene with an air that suggested complete and utter apathy. He wasn't going to tell Kevin about chaos.

"I've told you before, I'm not his keeper."

Kevin's gaze switched from Albedo to Virgil as the sound of the crystal beneath his boots gave its familiar muted - falsetto clink.

"You could always ask him," Virgil yelled back over his shoulder as he worked to create as much distance between the Testaments and himself as inhumanly possible. Virgil wasn't sure if was going to like Kevin's version of "interesting".

"I'm sure he'd love to tell you all about it."

* * *

"Little Master, you're such a delight!"

Mr. Glasky was a tall, overweight man in his late sixties with a head full of white hair and a goatee to match. His eyes were bright and he always had a smile on his face. He was a laid-back man with a great sense of humor and he was easily Jr.'s favorite investor. The boy grinned up at him as they exited the conference room together. The meeting had ended at least an hour ago but Mr. Glasky always stayed behind to talk. He laughed and patted Jr. on the shoulder twice before laying his hand there to rest. The action was a little rough and stung a bit but Jr. didn't mind.

"Nah, it's all you, Mr. Glasky. We're always happy to have you here. You should come visit us more often."

The suggestion wasn't an empty one, Jr. truly meant it. Hell, he'd pay for Mr. Glasky to stay. The older man shook his head.

"Surely you'd get tired of an old man like me, Little Master. Besides, I don't want to distract you from your studies."

Jr. made a face, one Mr. Glasky took as any adult would when mentioning school to a child. He laughed and gave Jr. a couple more light pats before pulling his hand away.

"I know it's not much fun but I'm sure you're top of your class."

"Of course, what did you expect?" Jr. answered with a smirk.

"You're going to surpass your father one day and when you do, I'm going to hire you so fast you won't know what hit you."

Jr. raised a red eyebrow upwards at him, that smirk still on his lips.

"That's right, boy!" Mr. Glasky announced. He was a large man with an even larger voice and when he spoke everyone around them stopped to look for a few seconds. Jr. simply shook his head. "You'll be working for me soon, so you'd better get your fill of the Foundation while you're still young."

"Sorry," Jr. laughed, pointing to his chest. "I'm Foundation born and bred. I'm not going anywhere. Besides, there's no way Gaignun could survive without me."

Glasky gave a small nod as the two made their way down the hall to the transport that would lead them to the dock and finally to the shuttle. Jr. didn't usually escort guests all the way back to the shuttle but he enjoyed Mr. Glasky's company.

"Don't you have a son anyway?" Jr. asked as they walked. Mr. Glasky slowed his speed so that the two could walk side by side without the older man outpacing the younger boy. "Don't you want him to be your successor?"

The man made a face, one similar to Jr.'s expression moments ago. He hesitated a moment, searching for the right words to say.

"He's a good boy, Little Master, don't get me wrong. Rilian just isn't able to grasp things the way you are. He's extremely shy and he buckles under the slightest pressure. I brought him here with me but I left him back at the hotel. I'm not quite ready to have him join in on an official meeting yet."

When the two reached the transport they stopped for a moment and slid inside.

"Actually," Mr. Glasky sighed as he took a seat next to Jr. "We're staying on the Foundation one more night and I was hoping that if you had time, you'd speak to him for me. He's only a few years older than you and I think he might listen to you better than he would me."

Jr. shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it. Just send him by my office later this evening. I have another meeting in an hour and a few other things I need to get straightened out but any time after six will be fine."

Mr. Glasky laughed and playfully patted Jr.'s back, the force of which almost knocked him out of his seat and onto the floor of the transport.

"I was going to ask Master Gaignun to speak with him but he's sort of a stiff fellow, isn't he?"

"A bit," Jr. coughed from the force but smiled through it as he straightened up. "But it doesn't take much to loosen him up."

"He's a good man, your father," Mr. Glasky said as he leaned back in his seat. "To be so young and successful it's almost unheard of and you're following right in his footsteps. You captain this ship, handle your meetings and run your Foundation so smoothly in his absence that it's like he's not even gone. You do your father proud, boy. Had I known there were brilliant boys like you out there in need of a good home, I would have grabbed you up before your father could blink."

The transport stopped and emptied them out onto the dock. The old man ruffled the boy's hair as they made their way to the shuttle. The two said their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Mr. Glasky took the escalator upward and Jr. moved straight toward the Elsa. He fumbled around with his communicator until it displayed the time. He made a little sound of approval. 12 o' clock, right on time.

* * *

Watching someone hit on chaos never failed to crack Jr. up. chaos always seemed genuinely surprised, confused and very uncomfortable no matter how often it happened.

Today it was their waitress. Luna was young woman with beautiful ebony skin, icy gray eyes and a figure that would make even Gaignun's girls green with envy. Jr. had seen her many times before, being a regular customer at this certain café, but it wasn't until today that he really took notice of her. It was kind of hard not to with all of the attention she was paying chaos.

When Luna took chaos' order, she made sure to stand as close to him as possible. When chaos couldn't decide, she lowered her attractive body so that her breasts brushed against his left shoulder as she pointed to the menu and made various…suggestions.

chaos' brown skin turned a light shade of pink as he agreed to whatever she said. Jr. kept his own menu raised as he tried to hide his laughter. He wiped away his smile when she asked for his order and handed her his menu. She bowed slightly to the both of them but she never took eyes off the blushing boy.

Jr. couldn't take it. The moment she was out of earshot he fell forward onto the table and laughed.

"Man," Jr. laughed as he pushed himself up from the table. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that our waitress has a thing for you, chaos."

The boy's pink blush turned a shade darker as he shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat. The sight made the situation even better but Jr. calmed himself down and swallowed a comment about chocolate-coated caramel he was itching to voice.

"I'm sure you're misinterpreting things," chaos mumbled.

"Oh come on, chaos. That girl was all over you." Jr. smiled and shook his head. "I just don't get it. You get offers from all kinds of women and you're with Tony."

chaos sent him a curious look and Jr. shrugged.

"It just doesn't make sense. I mean, even if you do like men why Tony? He's sort of a…well a…he gets around."

"He doesn't anymore," chaos replied with a smile.

Jr. thought about that as he leaned back in his chair. It was a beautiful, warm day on the Foundation, one that Jr. couldn't waste inside with paperwork and business meetings. He picked up his glass and took a slow drink. He hadn't exactly lied to Mr. Glasky when he'd said he had a meeting. He had a meeting with chaos for lunch and while it wasn't exactly a business meeting it wasn't exactly a lie either. The two of them had picked a spot outside on the café's patio. The artificial sun was bright and made the glass of their cups sparkle and shine when the rays slid through it.

"It just surprises me, I guess," Jr. said as he set the glass back onto the table. "I honestly thought you had a thing for KOS-MOS. You seemed so fascinated with her."

chaos was a subtle, mysterious person. He was kind, gentle and simply being in his presence would calm someone down. He was always there if someone had a problem but he never told anyone his own. He couldn't be read and no one could really say what was going on behind those translucent aquamarine orbs of his. But Jr. remembered the way he looked at her; careful glances that lasted longer than they should have. Jr. remembered the way he talked about her, how softly he spoke to her. The variant had thought it sort of sweet that chaos had a crush on someone, an android no doubt. KOS-MOS was beautiful but she was nothing but pure weapon. If she had an artificial personality Jr. had never seen it. Still, Jr. hated to think of her as simply a weapon. There had to have been more to her than that and when he'd noticed the way chaos reacted to her, he'd been sure of it.

"She is fascinating," chaos responded as he reached for his own glass. "You thought so too. I remember a certain someone questioning Shion for hours about her weaponry."

Jr. grinned, "You know me."

"Too well," chaos answered.

Luna arrived with their food and, after another brief and somewhat awkward (for chaos) moment, they relaxed and began to eat.

"You know," Jr. said after a few bites. "If I were gay, this would totally happen."

Jr. waved between the two of them to emphasize his point. chaos chuckled and placed a hand over his mouth, afraid that he might spit out his food if he didn't.

"You think so?"

Jr. rolled his eyes and shook his head. He adjusted his grip on the fork in his hand and sighed.

"Don't even pretend you're not attracted to me, chaos. I know and it's ok. I just want you to know that I don't plan on coming over to the dark side any time soon."

chaos dropped the hand over his mouth and smiled.

"It's good to see you back to your old self."

"Hey, it was bound to happen. A person heals eventually. It just took a little extra time for me to get better."

It had taken a great deal longer than he had wanted it to. That accident had really done a number on him but now it was over. There were no more nightmares and there was no more Albedo. He supposed that he should be relieved by the fact but somehow the knowledge only managed to make him feel hollow and empty. He scolded himself and took a vicious bite of his food. He should be grateful. The pain was over. Life was good again. To think that he had questioned Albedo's death, even for a second. For the thought to cross his mind was absolutely ludicrous. Jr. remembered the way he'd lain in his bed, still damp from the pouring rain and wishing for something no sane person would ever wish for. He'd done just fine without Albedo all of these years and he would do fine without him for all of the years coming. Jr. had solved the source of his problems in the madness of Abel's Ark and he was determined to leave them there.

The sound of his silverware hitting the plate gained chaos' attention and the boy looked curiously toward the younger variant. Jr. was silent for a few moments before he said, ever so hesitantly, "I…want to thank you."

Jr.'s blue eyes met chaos' for a split second before he continued. "I was…a little out of my mind there for a while and I'm sorry for making you help me so often. Believe me, it's not what I wanted."

Jr. made a frustrated noise and threw an arm over the back of his chair. "Then again, it's not like I asked for your help in the first place." He shrugged, flashing chaos that familiar grin. "Ever think about minding your own business every once in a while?"

chaos' smile returned and he nodded. "I've considered it but I just can't resist. I am absolutely head over heels for you, afterall."

"I knew it!" Jr. said through a yawn. He stretched and sighed before straightening himself up in his seat. It wasn't the most polite thing to do at a table but chaos didn't mind. The older boy chuckled at the display.

"Another late night?"

"I got caught up in a book," Jr. explained with a shrug.

Jr. hadn't slept very well the night before and, desperate to find some sleep, had resorted to his giant book but even it hadn't been able to tire him out. In the end he'd fallen asleep on top of it. He wasn't sure exactly when his mind had finally decided to sleep. All he remembered was the sudden sound of his alarm and blinking awake to the Cheshire Cat's warped grin and a small puppy licking at his face. Maybe reading his brother's favorite book before bed wasn't such a good idea. He honestly wasn't sure why he was reading it anyway.

"Did you get a new one?"

Jr. shook his head.

"No, it's an older one. I just decided to reread it."

Jr. yawned again as he picked up his fork, intent on finishing what was left of his food. He stabbed the nearest vegetable and pressed it to his lips but when he went to bite down on it his hand slipped and instead of the food he ended up biting down on his bottom lip. He cursed and placed a hand over it. chaos reached out to him but Jr. shook his head.

"I only bit my lip," he grumbled, trying to soothe the pain away with the ice in his glass. "I just can't catch a break, can I?"

chaos smiled sympathetically and handed Jr. a napkin.

"Here," he offered. "I think you're bleeding a little."

Jr. accepted it with quiet thanks and pressed it against his lip. He pulled it back to inspect it and found a tiny red spot of blood staring back at him. His sore lips turned into a bruised pout at the sight and he quickly hid it behind his napkin.

"Better?" chaos asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jr. answered, brushing the situation off. "You worry too much."

He had no idea how he had managed to slip enough to hurt himself. He blinked a little and straightened himself up. His day was too busy for him to be so tired so early. He pulled the napkin away from his lip and placed his finger against the sore spot. The bleeding had stopped and the area had developed a small throbbing instead. The sight of his red blood on the white napkin bothered him so he folded it up and placed it on the table away from him. The action caught chaos' attention.

"I heard that Mr. Glasky came by today," chaos started, trying to change the subject. It worked and Jr. immediately brightened up at the mention of his favorite investor.

"Yeah, trying to recruit me again. The guy just doesn't know when to quit."

chaos smiled and nodded. "It seems like he's always kicking himself for not adopting you."

Jr. chuckled at that, the sound like music to chaos' ears. "He's asked me to talk to his son today. I guess he wants me to impart some great wisdom on the boy or something. I don't know what he expects me to say. If he's not interested in business then he's not interested in business."

Jr. looked up at his friend. "If he's trying to turn him into some sort of clone of me, it's not going to work."

"I doubt that he's trying to do that," chaos replied. "I'm just sure that he wants the best for his son and you're probably the best role model for him. Maybe meeting you will inspire him."

"Me? Inspirational?" Jr. asked in disbelief. "I'll have to introduce the two of you. He might change his mind."

The rest of their lunch was peaceful and went by smoothly. chaos had successfully extinguished the heartache threatening Jr. earlier. Jr. sat back in his chair, an arm careless thrown over the back of it once again and one leg crossed over the other as he laughed. The older boy smiled gently in return, enjoying his friend's playful demeanor.

When Luna appeared again to give them their check, Jr. reached for it automatically. He always paid for chaos when they went somewhere together. He wasn't fast enough to grab it this time and before he could even begin to protest, the waitress had walked away with chaos' money instead of his.

Jr. blinked and stared at his friend, surprised.

"To your continuing good health, Little Master," chaos answered with a wink and his trademark smile.

Jr. only laughed in response. "Sneaky. That's unlike you. You're spending too much time with me."

"Maybe," chaos replied. "But at least you can't complain that I'm slow."

Jr. straightened up in his seat. "You're right about that and I'll let you get away with it this time but there's something I have to show you when we get back to the Elsa so don't try to speed off anywhere, got it?"

Luna returned with chaos' card and handed him the receipt. She lingered over him for a few moments to let him know what a pleasure it had been to serve them before finally leaving them to check on another couple a few tables over. Jr. snickered at the returning blush on chaos' face. The older boy sighed at his friend and began to place the receipt in the wallet when Jr. grabbed it from him. chaos was confused at first until he saw that the back of the piece of paper had numbers written in delicate handwriting across it. His blush darkened further as he shoved into his pocket and stood. Jr. followed close behind him, laughing the entire way.

* * *

Tony's mouth dropped at the sight of it. He stood there, his blue eyes as wide as they could get and stared. chaos stared too though his disbelief was a lot less obvious. He swung his translucent eyes toward the redheaded variant who smiled triumphantly in return because the machine behind him was the newest, most expensive hover bike that money could buy.

"I told you I'd buy you a new one," Jr. said, shrugging as if the whole situation wasn't anywhere near as big of a deal as the two men before him were making it.

Tony's eyes snapped from the machine to firmly place the magnitude of his surprise on Jr.

"You mean that's mine? I can have it?!"

"Of course it's yours,"

Jr. moved from between the pilot and the object he was currently lusting after. "Did you think I was lying?"

Tony shook his head dumbly. "It's just that…it's way nicer than the one I bought. I'd never be able to afford a bike like this. This model isn't even on the market yet!"

Still the man didn't move, too amazed by the situation and half expecting this to be one of Jr.'s famous pranks. chaos noticed and nudged him a bit.

"Go on, Tony. Don't you want to check it out?"

The pilot nodded absently before making his way to his new bike. His disbelief was quickly replaced with excitement as he inspected it.

"Thank you, Jr." chaos said with a smile. "But you didn't have to do this."

Jr. disagreed. He'd promised Tony a hover bike so he'd bought him a hover bike. The upgrade was just a small bonus and he'd never admit in his entire life that it had anything to do with the guilt of almost shooting him.

"He carried Hammer back without killing him after the guy destroyed his bike. I might have just left him there."

"You could always buy another one," chaos pointed out.

"I could," Jr. replied with a nod. "Tony can't."

chaos smiled, "It's still very generous."

Jr. shrugged. "Just make sure that he doesn't kill himself on it."

chaos nodded a promise as Tony jumped onto his new toy. Jr. wanted to see the bike in action but when he checked the time he found that he was a little late getting back. He waved a quick goodbye to his friends and warned Tony to keep the bike in one piece before running up the stairs and out of the Elsa to his office.

* * *

Alby heard footsteps and knew instantly that it was his master running down the hallway. He raised his head up and pricked his ears forward, purple eyes frozen excitedly toward the door. The suspense was horrible. He lifted his body up from Jr.'s desk and whined at the door. Jr. hadn't let Alby leave with him this morning and the puppy had planned to be extra stubborn toward him as punishment but when the door slid open and his master came running in, the puppy forsake his silly obstinacy and jumped down to meet him.

Jr. almost ran over him. He stopped hard on his right foot but overbalanced as he tried clumsily to step over the white ball of fuzz. When he tried to shift his weight onto his left foot he stumbled and fell onto his side. He laid there for a moment before rolling onto his back with a heavy sigh. It hadn't been a hard fall and he found that nothing hurt or ached. He reached his hand up to his mouth, surprised to find that his sore lip had returned to throbbing and even stung occasionally as if he'd fallen on his face instead of his side. He shrugged it off and turned his head slightly to the direction of the puppy. Alby barked and ran over to his master, lavishing his face with licks and biting at his hair. Master must want to play if he was lying in the floor where he could get to him. Jr. pushed the puppy's face away and himself up into a sitting position.

"Shit, Alby," he murmured. "What are you trying to do, kill me?"

Jr. took a quick glance at the desk beside him. Any closer and he would have smacked his head against it. The puppy ignored his master and continued to bite and bark at him, completely oblivious to the fact that he had been the cause of Jr.'s accident. Jr. shook his head and gathered the squirming culprit into his arms.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't cause me to break my face. It's how I make a living."

Jr. lifted them both off of the floor. His office was a relatively small room compared to others on the Durandal. It held his desk which held his console and two small stacks of paperwork. A red, antique couch sat against the wall to his right, facing the front of his desk and two large bookshelves occupied the others. Jr. had run out of room for his books in his bedroom so it only seemed to make sense to store them here.

Jr. placed the puppy onto his desk and sat down at his chair. He was a little behind but he had four hours to catch up before it was time to meet with Mr. Glasky's son. He grinned and cracked his knuckles. That was plenty of time.

It wasn't anything difficult and Jr. was down to half the first stack within the first thirty minutes. It was tedious, sure, but there was a normalcy about it that relaxed Jr. He never thought he'd be thankful for paperwork but here he was, filling it all out and he was downright chipper about it.

Jr. ran his fingers lightly over his lip as he pulled a new sheet of paper off of the stack. It still hurt. The dull throbbing had gone past the point of annoying and into the territory of painful. Direct contact didn't cause any extra pain and the thought made him anxious. It didn't make sense. People bit their lips all the time and this certainly wasn't the first time he'd done it but he'd never remembered it feeling quite this bad. He frowned and brought his hand back down to finish the task in front of him. If he was truly worried he could always ask his doctor. The mere thought was enough for him to completely drop the matter. He'd finished his required month and he wasn't planning on going back any time soon.

Jr. continued his work and had it almost complete by the time 5 o' clock rolled around. He only had half a stack left. Jr. truly had no idea what he was going to tell the boy. He didn't know what he was going to say or if there was something specific he was supposed to say. Glasky wanted him to inspire his son, right? Jr. sighed then winced. The pain was distracting. Every little pulse of his heartbeat seemed to cause him pain, a pain that spread and vibrated to the bones in his jaw. It just didn't make sense. He would have had to have personally ripped a chunk of his lip away from his mouth for it to hurt so badly. Jr. swiped a hand against it again and again there was no blood. He ran a hand through his short red locks and forced his eyesight back onto the fine print beneath his pen. This couldn't be happening again. Not again. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Not again and definitely not right now, not when he had a meeting. Not now.

"Albedo…" Jr. murmured hatefully as he scribbled on his paperwork.

The puppy at the left curve of Jr.'s desk raised his head curiously. When Jr. didn't react he laid his head back down.

His paperwork done, Jr. decided to get a head start on the work Gaignun had sent for him. The next hour passed by so quickly that Jr. hadn't realized that it was after 6:30 until he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he answered back. He pressed a button on his console and watched the light blue screen vanish into a thin line as it slowly shut down. The door slid open to reveal a young boy and an even younger looking 100-series as she bowed briefly.

"I have a guest for you, Little Master."

Jr. pushed himself away from the desk and hopped down to greet them.

"Yeah, you're Mr. Glasky's son, Rilian, right?"

The boy smiled nervously and nodded. Jr. grinned in return and reached a hand out to him.

"I'm Jr., but I'm sure you already know that."

Rilian chuckled a little and accepted the handshake albeit a bit awkwardly.

"Don't worry," Jr. said as he pulled away. "I'm not as awful as your dad says I am."

"He only says good things about you, Little Master."

Jr. shrugged. "Well anyway, go ahead and come in. Have a seat, relax. I don't bite, promise."

Jr. moved to the side and allowed Rilian room to enter. The boy hesitated for a moment before finally stepping in and walking over toward the couch. Jr. thanked the Realian and sent her on her way before turning around and walking back to his desk.

Rilian Glasky was a tall, quiet boy with a nervous energy and lavender eyes that Jr. only caught glances of as he sat anxiously on the couch in front of him. His hair was short and a strange mixture of pink and purple that Jr. finally decided was magenta. His bangs were spiked and he ran his fingers through them a couple of times in what the variant took to be a nervous gesture. Jr. couldn't imagine why he would be so skittish around him. Rilian folded his hands in his lap with a sigh and straightened himself up, as if he were readying himself to do something grand.

"Thank you for seeing me today, Little Master…"

"You don't have to call me that," Jr. laughed.

"My father calls you Little Master," he answered nervously.

Jr. nodded, "Yeah, but it's only because I call him _Mister _Glasky. It's sort of a stubborn thing." The redhead shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "But I'll make you a deal; You call me Jr. and I'll call you Rilian. What do you say?"

Rilian nodded and smiled. His earlier anxiety was slowly fading and Jr. decided to keep the conversation going. It seemed to be relaxing him.

"So," Jr. said as he pulled his chair closer to his desk. "What can I help you with?"

Jr. instantly regretted the question. Rillian's face fell and his hands balled into fists that anxiously rubbed against the blue fabric of his pants.

"I- I don't really know," he let out a shaky puff of air and raised his lavender eyes up to face Jr. "My father…he really wants me to be like you." Rillian blushed and dropped his gaze. "But I'll never really be like you. You're smart and brave and confident. I'm always hearing about some sort of amazing accomplishment you've made for your age…"

The boy trailed off as he stared down at his hands. He looked truly upset and Jr. couldn't help but feel a little guilty. If he didn't have to lie about his age Rillian might not be under so much stress. It was hard to imagine his boisterous friend as such a strict father but not impossible. People were very different at home, behind closed doors.

"I'm not going to deny that I'm awesome because I am. But that doesn't mean that you should try to be me. There' s plenty of things that you can do that I can't, I'm sure. You should try to be the best version of you that you can possibly be. You can't be me but that doesn't mean that you can't be as awesome or better."

When Rilian looked up Jr. winked at him. "Though better might be pushing it."

Rilian smiled and his whole body seemed to unwind from his earlier stress.

"I'll never be better than you…Jr."

"Well," Jr. said as he leaned forward onto his desk. "Tell me a little about yourself."

"Me?" He asked, the surprise evident in his voice. "I'd rather talk about you. Actually, I had a few questions to ask you."

Jr. shrugged, "Ok then, shoot."

They spent the next hour and a half together as Rilian asked and Jr. answered. It had started as business talk and the younger boy has seemed just as uncomfortable with the questions he asked as the answers Jr. gave him. Jr. could see the stress piling up on him again and after a little while he decided to steer the conversation into something more casual. The longer they talked the more relaxed Rilian became and Jr. found that he liked the boy. They had a lot in common and he found (much to his delight) that Rilian loved books just as much as the redhead and before long they were before Jr.'s giant bookcases, pulling books down by their hard-worn bindings and flipping through them to their favorite segments.

"If you like these…" Jr. said as he placed a copy of Frankenstein back on its shelf. "There's a store on Second Miltia that you've got to visit. I bought maybe this entire bookshelf right here just from that store. "

Rilian raised an eyebrow at that and scanned his lavender eyes across the titles.

"All of them? You must have bought out the whole store."

Jr. had seriously considered buying all of Jin's books at one point. There was no room for the books in his office or even his room but that didn't mean that Jr. couldn't find a place for them. The Durandal was missing a library. In all honesty it was probably the only thing the Durandal was missing.

"I've thought about it," Jr. said honestly.

Rilian ran his fingers over a particular book and leaned down to get a better view of the title.

"There are a few books that I would like to find. I've been searching everywhere and no one seems to have them."

Jr. crossed his arms and leaned against a corner of the shelf. "Well go ahead and look around. Maybe I've got a copy somewhere."

Rilian nodded and continued to look. He moved over to the next bookcase as he searched. Jr. started to follow him when he felt that sharp pain return. He cursed to himself and placed a hand over his mouth. Rilian had his back to Jr. and didn't notice. Jr. frowned and tried to rub the unexpected pain away. It didn't help much and when the pain sliced through him again it was stronger and sharper. It made his head spin and he had to blink for a moment to straighten out his vision. He gritted his teeth and scowled angrily to himself. It was unpredictable it seemed, the pain had a mind of its own. It stabbed into him again, coursing through his bones. He felt warm, too warm for the coat covering his small frame and he wondered slightly if he had a fever. Maybe he had a caught a cold. Jr. groaned inwardly. It was no doubt a gift from that icebox of an abbey.

Rilian called out to him and Jr. pushed himself away from the shelf. That didn't seem right. It had been two weeks; if the cold was from the abbey he should have been over it by now. The image of Albedo on the cross flashed through his mind, sending a chill down his spine. It was something Jr. refused to think about, refused to consider. He had decided when he'd returned from the Glass Cathedral to put it all behind him. In the wake of his pain and the heat of his might-be fever Jr.'s stubbornness slipped away, allowing a brief area of paranoia to buzz around his skull. Jr. had definitely contracted something at his nightmarish abbey but it wasn't a cold.

"Jr., this is amazing!"

Jr. brightened a bit, glad to have his mind on something else. Rilian half-turned to show Jr. the book he was currently holding. He started at the sight of it. It was the book, the giant monstrosity that Gaignun had given him for his birthday. He walked closer, confused. Jr. remembered peeling himself off of it this morning after falling asleep atop it. This was the first time he'd been in his office all day, he couldn't have brought it. Jr. blinked at it as he stepped closer, hoping he was simply seeing things. The pain must be playing tricks on him. Rilian shot him an excited glance and began flipping through the pages. There was no mistaking it. His insides clenched and the warmth seemed to become unbearable. He suddenly wanted out of this room, away from this boy, away from everything. Something was wrong. Rilian didn't realize his distress, too preoccupied with the book to feel the nervous aura pouring out of the redhead beside him. Could Jr. be mistaken? Could he have brought it by and forgotten about it?

"It's been a long time since I've seen this," Rilian said enthusiastically.

Jr. cringed at the sight of the Jabberwocky. He swallowed back nausea and nodded. He was being ridiculous again. He must have dropped it off by mistake sometime before the meeting. He'd came in, shoved it onto the shelf and grabbed documents on his way to the meeting. He…must have.

"Was this what you were looking for?"

Rilian shook his head as he continued to turn the pages. He didn't bother to stop or linger on any of the pages, much to the young director's relief.

"But I bet it's somewhere near here…oh!"

Rilian stopped and placed his finger on the title of a poem; "The Spider and The Fly" by Mary Howitt. Jr. blinked in surprise at the bold print underneath Rilian's hand. He didn't remember ever seeing this poem before. He stared curiously at it and glanced down at the page number. Jr. had read this book over and over again, knew every story and poem inside of it and knew that there was no way he could have missed this. When his eyes hit the number he flinched. Page number 432 held the Lobster Quadrille, always had. This didn't make any kind of sense.

"I can't believe you have this," Rilian said, his excitement undiminished. "You've got to tell me more about this store…"

His voice trailed off as Jr. gently took the book from him and slid it around so that he could get a better look at it. He frowned after a few moments and closed the book before setting it back onto the shelf. Rilian was a little confused by the action and hoped that he hadn't done something to offend his new friend.

"Gaignun bought this one for me as a birthday present so I'm not exactly sure where he got it."

When Jr. turned around he had a smile on his face. "He won't tell me where he got it but I've got something I need to do on Second Miltia in a couple of weeks. Why don't you come with me?"

Rilian looked as if he were about to swallow his tongue.

"Me? You're inviting me?"

Jr. shrugged, "Yeah, why not? You can observe the meeting and gain some valuable experience. It's easier to understand how meetings and things work if you actually sit through one. I want to go to the store again anyway and it would be cool to have someone encouraging me to buy things instead of discouraging me."

Rilian nodded, a small blush making its way across his face. Jr.'s smile widened. Mr. Glasky had mentioned not wanting Rilian to attend any meetings yet but Jr. didn't see the harm in it.

"It's a date then," he said with a laugh.

Pain sliced through him again, forcefully dragging itself along his lip and digging down into his bones. His temperature spiked and the uncomfortable warmth from earlier became a fiery heat. The combination made the room spin and swell. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath but when his eyes opened, they opened up onto the bottom of his desk. He blinked for a moment, the pain in his mouth traded instead for a consistent pounding in his head. What? Jr. closed his eyes again and placed his hand on his forehead. What was happening? Rilian's voice broke through the pain and this time when Jr. opened his eyes again his room had returned to its former state. His body cooled and the pain slicing into him returned to its annoying, throbbing pain. Jr. blinked a bit and swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

"…Jr.?"

Oh, that's right. Rilian had been talking. He quickly tried to dissolve the pain of his expression. He succeeded somewhat but when he raised his eyes to meet Rilian's he looked exhausted. The younger boy's magenta brows furrowed and a worried frown fixed onto his features.

"Are you alright?"

Jr. nodded and smiled. "Yeah, just a long day. Nothing to worry about."

"I'm sorry. I know you're very busy. I should go."

Jr. shook his head, frustrated with himself. He was better, had been better for days. He needed to pull himself together.

"Rilian, you're fine," Jr. insisted. "Did you ask me something just now?"

Rilian's blush returned, darker this time as his lavender eyes found his hands.

"Well your schedule is always so busy I was wondering if you ever had any time to be a normal kid. You know, like hang out with your friends or…if you ever had time for, say…a girlfriend?"

It was Jr.'s turn to blush. MOMO's image flashed into his mind for a brief second at the unexpected question and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah," he answered unthinkingly. He realized his mistake though and raised his eyes to meet Rilian's again. "I mean no! I mean…yeah I have time to hang out but I don't have a girlfriend or anything."

He cared about MOMO, deeply cared about MOMO and if he wasn't too embarrassed to admit it he would go so far to say that he had a small, child-like crush on the sweet little Realian. That's all it was though. In reality he was far too old for her and he had decided a long time ago that it would be in her best interest to find someone else. There was always that chance though. He had never called the situation impossible.

Rilian seemed a bit surprised at the information but then something sparked behind his pale eyes, something like realization as if a light bulb had just flashed to life inside of his skull.

"A boyfriend?"

"What?!" Jr. exclaimed, shocked that he would ask such a thing. "No way! What gave you that idea?"

"Well," Rilian stammered embarrassedly, "I see you with a boy a lot. The tall, dark one with the silver hair?"

"chaos?!" Jr. asked. The closest thing Jr. had to a boyfriend was chaos but that was bromance if anything. He joked around with him about it but Jr. couldn't seriously see himself with his best friend. He paused for a moment before shaking his head. No, it was a crazy thought, crazier than the nightmares! chaos wasn't interested in him anyway.

Rilian shrugged, his blush as red as Jr.'s hair by now and fidgeted a bit.

"He's my best friend. We do everything together but I assure you that I'm not dating him."

Rilian nodded hastily, more than ready to put the situation behind him.

"Why do you ask?" Jr. chuckled, still a bit nervous. "Is there a girl you've got your eye on?"

"Me?" He squeaked the question as if it'd been choked out of him. "N-no way!"

Jr. smiled then and moved away from the bookshelf, making his way back to his desk.

"Well," he said as he motioned for Rilian to follow him. "I'm not particularly worried about losing any personal time. If Gaignun can handle two women with his workload then I should be able to handle four, maybe five. What do you think?"

Rilian laughed. "Of course, Lit- Jr."

Jr. hadn't made it two steps before the room began to shift again. He frowned and tried to will the scene away. The pain returned, vibrating along his bones and reminding him of things he'd sworn he was finished with. The same image flashed before his eyes again; the bottom of his desk, as if he were lying on his back and facing up, the very way he'd fallen earlier when Alby had tripped him. His head pounded, his injured lip forgotten in the swell of painful pressure. He blinked and shook his head, desperate to make it stop. It faded quicker than it had earlier. Jr. sighed. It seemed that he might have to visit the doctor one more time. Maybe he had done more than bite his lip. He softly ran his hand along his mouth. It still wasn't bleeding and it still didn't hurt when he touched it.

"Thanks again for seeing me," Rilian said cheerfully. Jr. was glad to hear that the earlier shyness in his voice had almost vanished. He wasn't sure if this was what Mr. Glasky had planned when he'd first asked his favor but Jr. had a feeling that he was taking a step in the right direction.

"No problem," he said, as he took a seat in his desk chair. "I'll go ahead and look up the date and time for the meeting on Second Miltia. Are you sure you want to go? It'll be pretty boring."

Rilian nodded, "Of course!"

Jr. laughed and pressed on his console, bringing up that holographic screen again. His fingers ran along it, looking through his schedule for the date in question.

"Actually, Jr…" Rilian started and Jr. thought he heard the subtle beginnings of nervousness returning.

"Hm?" Jr. answered, eyes roving over the information on the screen. He heard footsteps to his left as the boy moved in a bit closer.

"There's something that I've been wanting to tell you…"

The serious tone in Rilian's voice caught Jr.'s attention and the boy abandoned the information for a few moments to fix Rilian with a questioning glance.

"Yeah?"

Rilian nodded harshly. He blushed under Jr.'s gaze, his voice suddenly lost. Jr. softened his expression and turned his chair around to face him. Rilian's body tensed and Jr. briefly wondered if he was going to be sick. He considered asking him when the boy all but blurted out what he was holding back.

"I…I'm…I'm in love with you, Jr."

It took a moment for the sentence to sink in. Jr. sat stunned in his chair and blinked at the boy in front of him, completely certain that he had imagined the sentence. He must have misheard it, he had something crazy stuck in his ear; with the insane visions he'd had since meeting Rilian it wasn't too hard a thing to believe.

"Come again?" Jr. asked. The disbelief in his voice was masked by the small humor in it but it faltered when he realized that Rilian hadn't been joking.

"I'm in love with you," Rilian repeated.

The blush on his face had turned so red that it seemed dangerous. Jr. prayed that the boy wasn't holding his breath. The variant felt his own face heating up a bit and he shifted at the uncomfortable atmosphere that had enveloped the room. He was at a complete loss for words. "I love you" had been the last thing he'd ever expected to hear coming out of Rilian's mouth or any investor's mouth for that matter. If he found out that Glasky had planned this Jr. was going to kill him.

"I…uh…" Jr. started, unsure of how to respond. He looked down into his lap, over to his desk, to the carpet, his chair, looking everywhere but at the boy in front of him.

"I'm sorry," Rilian said, his voice quivering. "I didn't, I mean I wasn't…I don't know why I said that."

"It's fine…" Jr. replied, still incredibly lost and uncomfortable.

"It's just that…" Rilian began, taking a quick step forward, urgent to apologize. "The way you carry yourself, the things you say and do…I've never meet anyone like you before."

Jr. couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood up from his seat and moved away from Rilian, unhappy with how close the younger boy was becoming. The boy frowned a bit and turned to face Jr.

"I'm flattered, really," Jr. said in a soothing matter. Rilian looked so upset. Jr. didn't want to make matters worse by displaying just how creeped-out he was by the whole situation. The room began to spin as he moved and Jr. internally cursed his luck. If he was going to go crazy couldn't he wait just a few more minutes until he could convince Rilian to leave? The pain returned and Jr. waited for it to pass. Before it could even begin Jr. felt something press hard against his shoulders and the shock of the situation forced him back to reality.

Jr. had stumbled back from Rilian into the direction of a bookshelf which had been a great mistake. If he'd moved around toward the door then maybe he would've been slammed against it where he could easily escape instead of a hard bookshelf.

His wavering vision opened up onto Rilian towering a few inches above him, pressing him hard into the shelves behind him. Jr. winced in discomfort as he tried to think of a good way to get out of his current situation. He could always force Rilian off of him. It didn't matter that Rilian was physically bigger than him; bioweapon always trumps human in terms of strength. Jr. didn't like the idea though and after a few moments of consideration he decided to talk his way out of it.

"Look, Rilian-"

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" Rilian asked, his voice was barely above a whisper. The grip on Jr.'s shoulders tightened. The variant didn't like where this was headed. "I think about you all the time. I see you everywhere I go. You're always on the news for something. I can't get away from you. No matter how hard I try."

Jr. squirmed and placed a hand around one of Rilian's wrists.

"I understand," Jr. said, trying to keep his voice steady and even. The proximity was really beginning to bother him. He struggled with the urge to shove the lovesick boy away. Jr. was starting to think him more obsessed than lovesick. "But you can't force me into a corner and expect me to-"

"When my father offered me the chance to meet you I was so excited it was all I could do to keep from running over here as soon as he told me. You're so much cuter in person and those eyes…"

Rilian raised a hand, the one Jr. didn't have a grip on, and used it to raise his chin up toward him. "I've never seen anyone with eyes this blue. They make my heart stop."

The touch had Jr. frozen. It was all he could do to keep himself from grabbing his weapon and pressing it into the kid's chest. He closed his eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath. This wasn't Albedo. This was a simple boy whose nervousness had gotten the better of him. Rilian had simply panicked and reacted out of desperation. Albedo would have been smoother, his hold a lot more firm. The slight tremble in his grip was the only thing that kept Jr.'s hands away from his guns.

"Rilian, you have to stop." Jr. pulled the wrist in his grasp gently away from his shoulder. "Let me go and we can talk. If you keep me here there's absolutely no wa-"

Jr.'s words were cut off instantly as Rilian's lips forced themselves against his. It was the last straw. Jr. pressed a hand against the boy's chest and pushed, hard. Rilian stumbled backwards a few feet before finally regaining his footing.

"What the hell?" Jr. hissed. He'd shoved his politeness away with the idiotic boy and was ready to toss him out on his ass. He liked Mr. Glasky but he wasn't willing to take this kind of treatment from anyone. He might lose him as an investor but the Foundation would operate fine without him. He angrily swiped the arm of his sleeve across his lips, ignoring the sting of pain it caused. "Do you think you can just tell someone that you love them and then try to force yourself on them? That's not love that's-"

The world was melting away again, swirling into meaningless shapes. The slight sting had worsened into that dreadful lingering pain that pierced into his bones. He placed his hands over his mouth, unable to hold back a groan.

"That's what?" came the boy's quivering voice. "You don't believe me?"

Jr. started to answer but that same image popped up again, the one of the bottom of desk. For a moment he was there, lying on his back and staring at it. His head ached again, the pounding vibrated through his skull and down his spine. His breathing was heavy; every small puff of air took effort because of the heat bearing down on him.

"Well?"

Jr. was dizzy, his vision flickered back and forth from his present position to the bottom of his desk. He didn't see Rilian approaching or feel hands on him until he was once again slammed against the bookshelf. The impact was rough and caused a few books to fall. They landed hard and most fell open, crumpling the precious pages and ruining their perfect smoothness. Jr. was once again snapped out of his haze by the assault. Rilian had lifted him up this time, settling Jr. up off his feet and holding him in place between the bookshelf and his hips. Jr. fixed a dazed scowl onto his attacker. Did this kid seriously think he was going to get anywhere with this?

"Back up," Jr. threatened. "Now."

"I can't, not yet."

One hand found the edge of Jr.'s shirt as the tips of his fingers slid beneath. Jr. grabbed his wrist again, intent on breaking it this time but when he wrapped his hand around it and started to push him away, nothing happened. Jr. blinked and shook his head, confused. He tried again but the boy wouldn't budge.

"I can't leave," Rilian repeated. "I have to convince you some way, right?"

This had been a mistake. Jr. should have shoved him out of the door the first chance he'd gotten. He should have rejected Glasky's request. There were a lot of things he should have done but it didn't matter now. Jr. struggled against him, becoming ever more desperate to separate the two. Why? Why wasn't he moving? Rilian knocked him against the shelf again, causing another shower of books to fall from their perches. Jr. silently swore to kill him for it as soon as he managed to escape. Another book fell beside Jr. and hit the carpet with a loud thud. Jr.'s storybook had hit the ground at a strange angle on top of another book, causing it to open. When he caught sight of it, Jr.'s heart sank.

He looked down at the boy holding him prisoner in his embrace and watched in horror as the color drained from his hair. It started at his roots and slid up his short hair in mere seconds, draining the color and replacing it instantly with an all-too familiar white. The grin came next, the twisted thing that could only be the work of Albedo; a trick only he was capable of. The lavender eyes that had once been Rilian's had turned into a purple so deep that it could only be found on the rarest amethyst…or on the world's most deranged lunatic.

"So tell me, sweet creature, whatever can I do," Albedo cooed as he brought up a hand to caress against Jr.'s face, "To prove this warm affection that I've always held for you?"

Jr.'s scowl returned at the touch and he fought harder against him.

"Albedo!" The name hurled from his lips like vomit as he struggled.

It was all a nightmare! Every minute of it! Ever since 'Rilian' had stepped into his office! How long had he been asleep?! Had his whole day been a nightmare? Where was he? Where was his body? The image of his desk reappeared, stronger this time and for a split second Jr. thought he could hear someone calling to him. His head slammed against the bookshelf and the image faded away as quickly as it had begun. The hand caressing his face moved to wrap around his neck, squeezing just hard enough to cut off Jr.'s voice.

"What a fierce flame, my little bonfire. I was very much enjoying your company."

Blue eyes glared back at him as he struggled to free himself from the hand around his throat.

"Can you hear them, Rubedo?" Albedo sneered, pressing Jr. harder into the shape of the bookshelf. Jr. groaned at the pain it caused him and tried harder to rip Albedo's hand from around his neck. The madman responded by squeezing harder and cutting off his airway. "Allow me to take you somewhere more private."

Jr.'s vision was blackening from the lack of oxygen. It seemed his body hadn't quite learned how to live without it yet. He wondered slightly why he tried to fight because it only made him weaker. The room's earlier spinning turned violent, slamming the shapes and colors of his office together until they smashed, collided and darkened, leaving nothing but the strength of Albedo's hand around his neck and the claws that dug possessively into him; a spider claiming his prey.

"Come now, Rubedo. Let us sleep" Albedo said as he pressed his body more firmly against the boy in his hold.

Albedo Piazzolla was an invincible bioweapon, a mistake of modern science that even the great Dmitri Yuriev couldn't have prevented. His power was amazing, fearsome and he terrorized countless people with it. He was a menace, a monster, a nightmare 15 years in the making and the embodiment of everything Jr. had ever done wrong. As the last of Jr.'s strength vanished his body and mind gave way beneath his phantom's hold. He felt Albedo's grin as he leaned in to whisper against his ear.

"And please forget the rumors for I know it's often said that they never, never wake again who lie upon my bed."

And Jr.'s world collapsed.

* * *

**A/N:** It's finally complete. I really hope that this was worth that wait and that it wasn't too…filler-y. I sort of wanted to build Jr. back up a little so that we could slam back down. I hope it worked but again, you have any complaints let me know. Criticism is welcome, especially since I've been gone for so long. I expect someone to dislike this chapter. Then again, I expected you all to hate last chapter and none of you did. XD Anyway, thank you all for reading and putting up with me. I've posted some dialogue from the beginning of next chapter below. I hope you're all excited it for it. C:

And as always, reviews are my muse so inspire it up, people. C:

* * *

_If men truly wish to be free of the mischief of their vices…  
Why do they not wish to be rid of the vices themselves?  
Is it human to be forever trapped by sin?  
To long for it?  
But why wish to be one? You're so perfectly inhuman that it hurts. So inhuman…it burns.  
So then…do we get to choose?  
If they are born into it are we born from it? Does it live in our blood, our veins, our very existence?  
Is it that stutter in that sweet, broken heartbeat Rubedo? Is it that delicious echo that haunts your soul? The imperfection that you refuse to acknowledge?  
Too prideful to even admit your own pride.  
My wrathful prince, oblivion's most oblivious usurper…the very tyrant of your own battered heart.  
The pain of pride…the power of wrath…  
What was it that you wished for…  
…Sweet, Suicide King?_


End file.
